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​Regulation role: On the 2024 Medicine Nobel

The discovery of microRNA changed the understanding of gene regulation

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology, or Medicine, awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, is for their discovery of microRNA, small RNA regulators (नियामक) of gene expression in eukaryotes, and its role in gene regulation after transcription (लिप्यंतरण, प्रतिलेखन) — the process of making an RNA copy (messenger RNA or mRNA) of a gene’s DNA sequence — and before cellular machinery is activated (सक्रिय करना) for protein production. Before the discovery of microRNAs and their role in gene regulation, it was believed that gene regulation was limited to specialised proteins called transcription factors, which bind to specific regions in DNA and determine which mRNAs are produced. In 1993, using 1 mm long mutant roundworms called C. elegans, the winners of this year’s Nobel provided proof that gene regulation is not confined (सीमित करना) to transcription factors. Instead, regulation by microRNAs occurs at a later stage in the process of gene expression, post-transcription. Despite these seminal findings, it was initially thought that this unusual (असामान्य) mechanism of gene regulation was peculiar (अजीब, विशिष्ट) to C. elegans and not relevant to more complex organisms, including humans. However, the discovery of another microRNA encoded in a gene present in all organisms indicated that microRNA’s role in gene regulation extends beyond roundworms. By 2001, microRNAs were found to be abundant (प्रचुर मात्रा में) in invertebrates and vertebrates, with some highly conserved across species, suggesting that “microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation is a general regulatory function”. As per current knowledge, the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.

Cancer, diabetes and autoimmune diseases are associated with dysregulated microRNA expression. In the case of cancer, dysregulation may include amplification (प्रवर्धन) or deletion of microRNA genes, abnormal (असामान्य) transcriptional control of microRNAs, and defects in the microRNA biogenesis machinery. Studies have shown that dysregulated microRNAs affect the biological capabilities that cancer cells acquire during tumour development, including sustaining proliferative (Relating to or characterized by rapid growth or reproduction) signalling, resisting cell death, and activating processes that allow cancer cells to spread in the body. Preliminary (प्रारंभिक, आरंभिक) studies have also indicated that certain microRNAs can serve as potential (क्षमता) biomarkers for human cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic targets. It is now known that beyond perturbing immune responses, disruption and dysfunction of microRNAs can initiate the production of autoantibodies and contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Several microRNA-associated diagnostic biomarkers have already been developed and used clinically, though they have yet to be commercialised. Likewise, candidate drugs targeting microRNAs are currently being tested in clinical trials.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Regulator (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - नियामक
English Meaning - A person or body that supervises or controls a particular activity or organization.

2.Transcription (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - लिप्यंतरण, प्रतिलेखन
English Meaning - The process of converting spoken words into written form, or the process by which DNA is copied to RNA in cells.

3.Activate (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सक्रिय करना
English Meaning - To make something start working or to cause a device to function.

4.Confine (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सीमित करना
English Meaning - To restrict or limit someone or something within certain boundaries.

5.Peculiar (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अजीब, विशिष्ट
English Meaning - Strange or unusual, often in a distinctive or characteristic way.

6.Unusual (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असामान्य
English Meaning - Not common, rare, or out of the ordinary.

7.Abundant (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रचुर मात्रा में
English Meaning - Existing or available in large quantities; plentiful.

8.Amplification (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवर्धन
English Meaning - The process of increasing the volume, power, or significance of something.

9.Abnormal (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असामान्य
English Meaning - Deviating from what is normal or usual, often in a worrying way.

10.Preliminary (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रारंभिक, आरंभिक
English Meaning - Serving as a preparation or introduction to something more important.

11.Potential (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - क्षमता
English Meaning - Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.

12.Proliferative (Adjective)

English Meaning - Relating to or characterized by rapid growth or reproduction.