MiRNAs confer phenotypic robustness to gene networks by suppressing biological noise
Open accessAbstract
miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs able to modulate target gene expression. It has been postulated that miRNAs confer robustness to biological processes, but clear experimental evidence is still missing. Here, using a synthetic biological approach, we demonstrate that microRNAs provide phenotypic robustness to transcriptional regulatory networks by buffering fluctuations in protein levels. We construct a network motif in mammalian cells exhibiting a 'toggle-switch' phenotype in which two alternative protein expression levels define its ON and OFF states. The motif consists of an inducible transcription factor that self-regulates its own transcription and that of a miRNA against the transcription factor itself. We confirm, using mathematical modelling and experimental approaches, that the microRNA confers robustness to the toggle-switch by enabling the cell to maintain and transmit its state. When absent, a dramatic increase in protein noise level occurs, causing the cell to randomly switch between the two states.
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miRNAs may play key roles in the post-transcriptional reduction of expression noise.
“Intriguingly, miRNA do not solely, or maybe even predominantly, function as target-specific regulators but may play key roles in the post-transcriptional reduction of expression noise (89, 90).”
From Overview of MicroRNA Biogenesis, Mechanisms of Actions, and Circulation (2018) · cites this paper as [89]
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Overview of MicroRNA Biogenesis, Mechanisms of Actions, and Circulation
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- Authors
- Siciliano, V., Garzilli, I., Fracassi, C., Criscuolo, S., Ventre, S., & di Bernardo, D.
- Affiliations
- Telethon Institute Of Genetics And Medicine (IT)
- ORCID
- Siciliano, Velia
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2013-09-30
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 2364-2364
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3836244
- OpenAlex
- W1974343943
- Cited by
- 166
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 6.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Fondazione Telethon (TGM11SB1)
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Keywords
- microRNA, phenotypic robustness, biological noise, transcriptional regulatory networks, toggle switch, synthetic gene circuits, state switching
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cricetulus, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Vectors, Models, Genetic, Phenotype, Stochastic Processes, Transcription, Genetic, Protein Biosynthesis, Lentivirus, CHO Cells, Feedback, Physiological, MicroRNAs, E2F1 Transcription Factor, Gene Regulatory Networks, Synthetic Biology
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