miRNAs are short, non-coding RNAs which have been identified in plants and animals. They generally negatively regulate gene expression and thereby have important roles in the control of a variety of developmental processes. Due to difficulties in the experimental identification of miRNAs, bioinformatic programs for the prediction are crucial to gain insights into the complete repertoire of post-transcriptional regulation by miRNAs. Previously, miRNAs have been discovered in plants for which the distinctive stem-loop structure cannot be predicted on genomic DNA due to introns in the corresponding miRNA genes. Therefore these miRNAs have escaped computational prediction. We have developed an algorithm for the prediction of spliced miRNAs in plants (Thieme et al., 2011). Currently, we are using this algorithm to predict and experimentally verify spliced miRNAs on the basis of plant whole genome information and to study the evolution of these molecules along the lineage of land plants.
| Contact: | Lydia Gramzow |
| Dajana Lobbes |
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| Guenter Theissen |
Suggested reading:
Thieme, C.J., Gramzow, L., Lobbes, D. and Theißen, G. (2011)
SplamiR - prediction of spliced miRNAs in plants.
Bioinformatics 27, 1215-1223
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