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. 2021 Mar 19;22(6):3153. doi: 10.3390/ijms22063153

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© 2021 by the authors.

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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MiRNA biosynthesis and functions. Process of the biosynthesis of miRNA begins in the nucleus. MiRNA genes are transcribed by polymerase II to primary RNA (pri-miRNA). Pri-miRNA is processed to pre-miRNA with the participation of the ribonuclease Drosha. Subsequently, pre-miRNA is transported via Exportin 5 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm of the cell. Dicer is an endonuclease that cleaves pre-miRNAs into short miRNA duplexes, which are later unwound by an unknown helicase. The mature miRNA strand binds to an Argonaute (Ago) protein, forming a complex.