Understanding microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks through mathematical modelling
Lai X, Wolkenhauer O, Vera González J (2016)
Publication Language: English
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2016
Journal
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Book Volume: 44
Pages Range: 6019-6035
Journal Issue: 13
DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw550
Abstract
The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has added a new player to the regulation of gene expression. With the increasing number of molecular species involved in gene regulatory networks, it is hard to obtain an intuitive understanding of network dynamics. Mathematical modelling can help dissecting the role of miRNAs in gene regulatory networks, and we shall here review the most recent developments that utilise different mathematical modelling approaches to provide quantitative insights into the function of miRNAs in the regulation of gene expression. Key miRNA regulation features that have been elucidated via modelling include: (i) the role of miRNA-mediated feedback and feedforward loops in fine-tuning of gene expression; (ii) the miRNA-target interaction properties determining the effectiveness of miRNA-mediated gene repression; and (iii) the competition for shared miRNAs leading to the cross-regulation of genes. However, there is still lack of mechanistic understanding of many other properties of miRNA regulation like unconventional miRNA-target interactions, miRNA regulation at different sub-cellular locations and functional miRNA variant, which will need future modelling efforts to deal with. This review provides an overview of recent developments and challenges in this field.
Authors with CRIS profile
Xin Lai
Department of Dermatology
Julio Vera González
Professur für Tumorimmunologie (Schwerpunkt Systembiologie)
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Lai, X., Wolkenhauer, O., & Vera González, J. (2016). Understanding microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks through mathematical modelling. Nucleic Acids Research, 44(13), 6019-6035. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkw550
MLA:
Lai, Xin, Olaf Wolkenhauer, and Julio Vera González. "Understanding microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks through mathematical modelling." Nucleic Acids Research 44.13 (2016): 6019-6035.
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