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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Nov 4.
Published in final edited form as: Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2009 Nov 4;20(5-6):517–521. doi: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2009.10.004

Fig. 1. Biogenesis of miRNAs and assembly into RISC complex.

Fig. 1

Transcription by RNA pol II leads to capped and polyadenylated pri-miRNAs which are processed by Drosha in the nucleus to generate pre-miRNAs. After translocation to the cytoplasm by exportin 5, pre-miRNAs are processed by Dicer to form the mature miRNA/miRNA* duplex. Following processing, miRNAs are assembled into the RISC complex. Only one strand of the duplex is stably associated with the RISC complex. The mature miRNA directs repression of mRNA containing partially complementary miRNA binding sites within the 3′UTR.