Figure 1.

Schematic representation of miRNA biogenesis. The mature miRNAs originate from successive different steps. An initial DNA transcription generates pri-miRNAs that are cleaved in pre-miRNAs before their exportation to the cytoplasm. There, an RNAse III enzyme, Dicer, cleaves it to generate a miRNA duplex that subsequently joins an RNA‑induced silencing complex (RISC) to produce the mature miRNA. The sequence complementarity to the target will decide its fate. Some miRNAs can act on the transcriptional level independently from the RISC.