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PMID: 20855538 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Review

MicroRNA sponges: progress and possibilities.

RNA (New York, N.Y.) ·Vol. 16 ·No. 11 ·2010-11-00 ·Pages 2043-50

Ebert MS, Sharp PA

Abstract

The microRNA (miRNA) "sponge" method was introduced three years ago as a means to create continuous miRNA loss of function in cell lines and transgenic organisms. Sponge RNAs contain complementary binding sites to a miRNA of interest, and are produced from transgenes within cells. As with most miRNA target genes, a sponge's binding sites are specific to the miRNA seed region, which allows them to block a whole family of related miRNAs. This transgenic approach has proven to be a useful tool to probe miRNA functions in a variety of experimental systems. Here we will discuss the ways sponge and related constructs can be optimized and review recent applications of this method with particular emphasis on stable expression in cancer studies and in transgenic animals.

MeSH Terms
Animals Gene Expression Regulation Gene Transfer Techniques Humans MicroRNAs/genetics Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/methods
Chemicals
MicroRNAs
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Ebert Margaret S
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Sharp Phillip A
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Article Info
Journal
RNA (New York, N.Y.)
Abbr.
RNA
ISSN
1469-9001
DOI
10.1261/rna.2414110
Published
2010-11-00
Epub
2010-00-20
Pages
2043-50
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
9509184
PMCID
PMC2957044
Subset
IM
Grants
NCI NIH HHS · P30 CA014051 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · R01 CA133404 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · P30-CA14051 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · R01-CA133404 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1261/rna.2414110 PMC Full Text View journal details
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