Environmental contaminants and microRNA regulation: Transcription factors as regulators of toxicant-altered microRNA expression.

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by binding mRNA and inhibiting translation and/or inducing degradation of the associated transcripts. Expression levels of miRNAs have been shown to be altered in response to environmental toxicants, thus impacting cellular function and influencing disease risk. Transcription factors (TFs) are known to be altered in response to environmental toxicants and play a critical role in the regulation of miRNA expression. To date, environmentally-responsive TFs that are important for regulating miRNAs remain understudied. In a state-of-the-art analysis, we utilized an in silico bioinformatic approach to characterize potential transcriptional regulators of environmentally-responsive miRNAs. Using the miRStart database, genomic sequences of promoter region

SUBMITTER: Sollome J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5145741 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature