In molecular biology bantam microRNA is a short
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
molecule.
MicroRNAs function to regulate the expression levels of other genes by several mechanisms.
Function
In Drosophila, bantam microRNA works in the epithelial cells where it regulates the growth of dendrites in sensory neurons.
The ''
Hippo signaling pathway'' also tends to be directly linked with the BANTAM microRNA as it regulates it to control the functionality of cell proliferation and survival.
Recent studies show that human miRNA are also related to this pathway.
Homothorax (Hth) and Teashirt (Tsh) are two DNA-binding transcription factors expressed in the Drosophila eye imaginal disc. Recent studies have shown that the Hth and Tsh which are found to be important in cell survival of the Drosophila anterior optimal disc participate in the regulation of the Bantam miRNA.
It is concluded that the miRNA has an important function in the central pacemaker of the Drosophila circadian rhythm clock. To be more precise Bantam miRNA has an important relation with the clock component clk, thus making it an important factor of study regarding its role in the Drosophila behavior.
Diseases
''
Fragile X syndrome
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic disorder characterized by mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. The average IQ in males with FXS is under 55, while about two thirds of affected females are intellectually disabled. Physical features may ...
'' disease are implicated to be regulated by the FMRP, an ''
RNA-binding protein
RNA-binding proteins (often abbreviated as RBPs) are proteins that bind to the double or single stranded RNA in cells and participate in forming ribonucleoprotein complexes.
RBPs contain various structural motifs, such as RNA recognition motif ( ...
''. Studies on Drosophila has shown that the Bantam miRNA plays an important role in the regulation of the protein dFMRP and also genetically interact with the protein in stem cell maintenance.
Thus implicating the possibility of a relation between the miRNA and the disease. It is also suggested that the endogenous expression of the Bantam gene in the developing eye imaginal disc contributes to controlling the level of hid-induced apoptosis, which is normally involved in reducing cell number in the pupal eye disc.
See also
*
MicroRNA
References
External links
* {{Rfam, id=RF00727, name=bantam microRNA precursor family
MicroRNA