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Hereditas(Beijing) ›› 2021, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (12): 1107-1120.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.21-256

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The function and research methods of tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNA)

Jianfeng Ma1,2(), Mailin Gan1,2, Li Zhu1,2(), Linyuan Shen1,2()   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
    2. Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
  • Received:2021-07-16 Revised:2021-09-17 Online:2021-12-20 Published:2021-11-23
  • Contact: Zhu Li,Shen Linyuan E-mail:1098991954@qq.com;zhuli7508@163.com;shenlinyuan0815@163.com
  • Supported by:
    Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Nos(31902135);Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Nos(31972524);the Sichuan Science and Technology Support Program Nos(2021YJ0265);the Sichuan Science and Technology Support Program Nos(2021YFYZ0007);the Sichuan Science and Technology Support Program Nos(2020YFN0147)

Abstract:

tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA), a class of small non-coding RNAs processed from the precursor tRNA or mature tRNA, broadly exist in organisms and have features including high conservation, structural stability and tissue specificity. According to the different paths of biogenesis, tsRNA is classified into two major types, tRNA halves and tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs). Many studies have revealed that the expression of tsRNA is significantly increased under a variety of cellular stress responses, and its involvement in the regulation of stress responses is conserved across different species. tsRNA plays an important role in various biological processes by regulating transcript stability, protein translation and epigenetic processes. Recent researches have shown that tsRNA has the potential as disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets, making it the focus of biomedical research. In this review, we summarize the research on tsRNA from aspects of biogenesis, function and research methods in order to provide a reference for relevant research.

Key words: non-coding RNA, tRNA-derived fragments, tsRNA, tRFs