Pleiotropic constraints, expression level, and the evolution of miRNA sequences.

ABSTRACT: Post-transcriptional gene regulation mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs) plays critical roles during development by modulating gene expression and conferring robustness to stochastic errors. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that miRNA acquisition could play a role in phenotypic innovation. Moreover, miRNA-induced regulation strongly impacts genome evolution, increasing selective constraints on 3'UTRs, protein sequences, and expression level divergence. Thus, it is essential to understand the factors governing sequence evolution for this important class of regulatory molecules. Investigation of the patterns of molecular evolution at miRNA loci have been limited in Caenorhabditis elegans because of the lack of a close outgroup. Instead, I used Caenorhabditis briggsae as the focus point of this study

SUBMITTER: Jovelin R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3913099 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature