Author

Yew Seong Tan

Date of Award

1-1-2010

Thesis Type

masters

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

science

Department

Faculty of Science

Institution

University of Malaya

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single-stranded non-protein-coding RNAs of about 22 nucleotides that play an important role in post-transcriptional gene regulation in animals and plants by targeting mRNAs for direct cleavage of mRNAs or repression of mRNA translation. In this study, a homology search based approach has been used for identifying the novel miRNA genes of Musa sp. using the BLAST program with a total of 42,978 Musa sp. expressed sequence tags (EST) were compared to a total of 959 previously known plant miRNA sequences. Forty-seven candidate miRNA with homology to previously known miRNAs were identified. By using the mFold3.1 program, secondary RNA structures were predicted and total of nine novel miRNA were identified in Musa sp. One of the most promising novel miRNA was miR156 which has the strongest characteristics of a miRNA precursor structure and was 100% identical to the mature miR156 from other plant species. It was experimentally validated to be expressed in Musa acuminata var. Berangan and is the first known report of the identification and expression of miRNA from a banana plant species.

Note

Dissertation (M.Biotech.) -- Institut Sains Biologi, Fakulti Sains, Universiti Malaya, 2010

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