Clarifications on miRNA and cancer

G Ruvkun - Science, 2006 - science.org
Science, 2006science.org
The News Focus article “A new cancer player takes the stage”(4 Nov. 2005, p. 766) by J.
Couzin on miRNAs and cancer has a quote from me that has been taken out of context and
conveys exactly the opposite meaning of my unedited comments.To clarify, some of the
miRNAs induced during cell differentiation may down-regulate cell division programs.
Because miRNAs down-regulate target mRNA genes through complementary sites in their
3′ UTRs, oncogene targets with mutations in miRNA-complementary sites might escape …
The News Focus article “A new cancer player takes the stage”(4 Nov. 2005, p. 766) by J. Couzin on miRNAs and cancer has a quote from me that has been taken out of context and conveys exactly the opposite meaning of my unedited comments.
To clarify, some of the miRNAs induced during cell differentiation may down-regulate cell division programs. Because miRNAs down-regulate target mRNA genes through complementary sites in their 3′ UTRs, oncogene targets with mutations in miRNA-complementary sites might escape miRNA regulation to generate dominant activating oncogene mutations. Such gain-of-function mutations are seen in plant genes that regulate cell division at the meristem.
AAAS