Deciphering the rules of ceRNA networks

Abstract

Recent theoretical and experimental studies have shed light on the complex network of interactions among the multiple classes of RNA within the cell. Although much of the focus over the past decade has been on the mechanisms by which microRNAs (miRNA) regulate the stability and translation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), more recently it has come to light that the mRNA targets themselves are not merely passive substrates for miRNA repression but key elements in regulating miRNA availability within cells (1). This reverse logic provides a unique mode of miRNA regulation, alongside the already characterized transcriptional and posttranscriptional roles (2, 3), and compels a redefinition of the rules governing miRNA circuitry. In PNAS, Ala et al. (4) report a mathematical model for the qualitative dissection of interactions among the diverse classes of cellular RNAs, as well as experimental validation, thereby providing a basis for defining and describing complex RNA-based regulatory networks.