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Fig. 1 | BioMedical Engineering OnLine

Fig. 1

From: miRNAs as biomarkers for early cancer detection and their application in the development of new diagnostic tools

Fig. 1

MicroRNA expression and function on post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA. (1) Mature miRNAs are initially expressed in the nucleus in the pri-miRNAs form, which is cleaved by DGC58/Drosha proteins, resulting in the pre-miRNA form. (2) The intermediary pre-miRNA form is exported to the cytoplasm. (3) The intermediary pre-miRNA form interacts with Dicer, responsible for the final cleavage of the hairpin loop and result in a 20–25 nucleotide dsRNA structure. (4) Mature miRNAs are released and form the miR-RISC protein complex. (5) miR-RISC protein complex interacts with the complementary mRNA strand and the acts on post-transcriptional regulation mechanisms. (6) Mature miRNAs are released into exosome vesicles. (7) Mature miRNAs in exosomes can be detected in several biological fluids (as plasma, saliva, or urine)

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