The seventh video released of the “RNA Explained Series”, is on miRNAs and their role in gene expression regulation. For their discovery, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded.
How are our genes turned on and off? For decades, scientists believed that gene regulation was primarily controlled at the very beginning—the moment DNA is transcribed into RNA. However, a hidden layer of control was waiting to be discovered.
In the 1990s, researchers uncovered tiny regulatory molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs). Working alongside a protein named Argonaute, these microRNAs act like "dimmer switches." Instead of just turning genes on or off at the start, they fine-tune the final stages of protein production.
This video explores how these tiny molecules recognize and bind to specific messenger RNAs to block translation or trigger their destruction. With the ability to regulate hundreds of different mRNAs, microRNAs influence everything from development and metabolism to immunity and brain function. Today, scientists are developing innovative miRNA-based therapies to restore balance to our cellular programs.