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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Feb 2.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Cancer. 2011 Nov 24;11(12):849–864. doi: 10.1038/nrc3166

Figure 3. RNA expression patterns dictate miRNA repressibility in cells.

Figure 3

a | Alternative polyadenylation signals give an mRNA transcript the ability to evade regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs). Longer 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) usually contain more miRNA binding sites and are therefore more sensitive to repression by miRNAs. b | An increased abundance of additional target genes can ’soak-up’ the miRNA pools, leading to target gene derepression. c | Mutations in the target gene can create or destroy miRNA binding sites. 7mG, 7-methylguanine; ORF, open reading frame.