Essay Question: miR-124 is a microRNA (miRNA) that is preferentially expressed in the brain. Briefly, summarise how miRNAs mediate post-transcriptional repression.
Describe microarray experiments carried out by Lim et al. (2005) to prove that mir-124 is important for defining brain specific gene expression pattern and that the 5’-end of this miRNA is sufficient for its function.
Refer to following research paper: Lim et al. (2005) Microarray analysis shows that some microRNAs downregulate large numbers of target mRNAs. doi: 10.1038/nature03315.
Specific instructions
Include diagrams where appropriate, but these must be referred to in the text and should be original (e.g. drawn by hand or in PowerPoint or similar).
Avoid using any verbatim (word for word) quotes.
Expect a well-structured descriptive answer which correctly uses the appropriate terminology and referencing.
When you address the question, you should interpret and discuss the data/information provided.
It is essential that the work is written for an element of criticality and synthesis.
Expect a well-founded conclusion.
