micro RNA(mi RNA)是一种真核生物内源产生的长度约为20~23个核苷酸的非编码小分子RNA,作为一种调控因子广泛存在于动物和植物中。虽然动植物mi RNA均是通过对靶基因进行转录后负调控从而参与动植物的生长发育过程,但动植物mi RNA起源方式和合成途径却不尽相同,其对靶基因调控的作用模式也存在很大差异。该文就动植物mi RNA在起源、合成及作用模式上的异同点作一综述,为深入认识动植物mi RNA提供理论依据。
microRNA (miRNA) is a kind of 20-23 nt endogenous non-coding small RNA in eukaryotes, which is widely existed in animals and plants. Although animal and plant miRNA participate in a wide range of growth and development processes both through negatively regulating their target genes at post-transcriptional levels, their origin and biogenesis pathways are different, and their working mechanisms for target gene regulation are also diverse. In this review, similarities and differences of the origin, biogenesis and mechanism between plant and animal miRNAs were summarized and discussed to provide theoretical basis for deeply studying the miRNAs in plants and animals.