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Quantifying Argonaute Proteins In and Out of GW/P-Bodies: Implications in microRNA Activities

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Book cover Ten Years of Progress in GW/P Body Research

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((volume 768))

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of ∼22nt non-coding RNAs that regulate the translational potential and stability of mRNAs. Though constituting only 1–4% of human genes, miRNAs are predicted to regulate more than 60% of all mRNAs. The action of miRNAs is mediated through their associations with Argonaute proteins and mRNA targets. Previous studies indicated that though the majority of Argonaute proteins is diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm, a small fraction is consistently observed to be concentrated in a cytoplasmic compartment called GW/P-bodies. In this chapter, we will provide a quantitative and dynamic view of the subcellular localization of miRNA function, followed by a discussion on the possible roles of PBs in miRNA silencing.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Lindstrom for figure illustrations. This work was supported by R01-CA133404 from NIH, P01-CA42063 from NCI to PAS and partially by Cancer Center Support (core) grant P30-CA14051 from NCI. AKLL was a special fellow of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is supported by a DOD Breast Cancer Research Program Idea Award #BC101881.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Anthony K. L. Leung

  2. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Phillip A. Sharp

  3. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Phillip A. Sharp

Authors
  1. Anthony K. L. Leung
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  2. Phillip A. Sharp
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Correspondence to Anthony K. L. Leung .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Dentistry, Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida, Southwest Archer Road 1600, Gainesville, 32610, Florida, USA

    Edward K. L. Chan

  2. Dept. Medicine & Medical Biochemistry, University of Calgary, Hospital Drive NW., 3330, Calgary, T2N 4N1, Alberta, Canada

    Marvin J. Fritzler

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Leung, A.K.L., Sharp, P.A. (2013). Quantifying Argonaute Proteins In and Out of GW/P-Bodies: Implications in microRNA Activities. In: Chan, E., Fritzler, M. (eds) Ten Years of Progress in GW/P Body Research. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 768. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5107-5_10

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