《生命科学》 2010, 22(9): 925-929

小RNAs在生殖细胞发育过程中的作用

谢兆辉

(德州学院生物系，德州 253023)

摘　要：摘　要：很多动物可以产生具调节作用的小RNAs，根据产生方式和作用机制可以将它们分为三类：微小RNAs(miRNAs)、与Piwi相互作用的RNAs(piRNAs)和内源小干扰RNAs(endo-siRNAs)，这些小RNAs可以在生物生殖细胞发育过程中发挥重要作用。其中miRNAs的主要作用是调节蛋白质基因的表达；piRNAs主要的作用是沉默转座因子，但piRNAs主要存在于生殖细胞中；endo-siRNAs则可能具有上述两种主要作用。该文论述了这三种小RNAs在生物生殖细胞发育过程中的作用，同时也讨论了它们在治疗生物不育及其在生物节育方面的应用前景。
关键词：生殖细胞；微小RNAs；与Piwi相互作用的RNAs；内源小干扰RNAs

The role of small RNAs in the development of germline cells

XIE Zhao-hui

(Department of Biology， Dezhou University， Dezhou 253023， China)

Abstract: Abstract: Many animals express three classes of small RNAs， which are classified into three classes according to their mechanisms of biogenesis， and these RNAs have critical roles in germline cell development. Among the three classes of small RNAs， miRNAs mainly regulate the expression of protein-coding genes; Piwi-interacting RNAs(piRNAs) mainly function in transposon silencing and are restricted to gonadal tissues; while endogenous siRNAs (endo-siRNAs) have been proposed to function in both regulation of gene expression and in transposon silencing. In this review， we addressed the mechanisms of action and functions of siRNA， miRNA and piRNA in germline cell development， the potential application of these small RNAs in the treatment of infertility or in the development of contraceptions was also discussed.
Key words: germline cells; miRNAs; piRNAs; endo-siRNAs