Symbol mir-279 miRBase family 5 Domain(s) Eukaryota; | Rfam RF00754 RNA type microRNA | |
In molecular biology mir-279 microRNA is a short RNA molecule belonging to a class of molecules referred to as microRNAs. These function to regulate the expression levels of other genes by several mechanisms.
CP2 neuron inhibition
It has been seen in the Drosophila Melanogaster species that loss of microRNA-279 results in the formation of a CO2-sensory pathway. Regulation of miR-279 expression is partly by the pleiotropic transcription factor Prospero, and this appears to indirectly restrict CO2 neuron formation via miR-279. Further, there is direct inhibition through repression of the shared target genes nerfin-1 and escargot during olfactory development. In this way microRNA regulation of pleiotropic neural genes is likely to play a role in divergence of sensory systems, with nervous system divergence occurring with failed miR-regulation of genetic pathways.