MiR-206


MiR-206 is a microRNA that in humans is a member of the myomiR family which also includes miR-1, miR-133, miR-208a/b among few others.
As well as being regulated during the embryonic development of skeletal muscle, miR-206 is regulated by estradiol. C2C12 myoblast cells are widely used as a model for the study of cell differentiation in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, miR-206 is highly expressed in triple-negative breast tumors that grow independent of estradiol, and miR-206 is a predictor of worse overall survival in breast cancer patients.
The biogenesis of miR-206 is unique in that the primary mature transcript is generated from the 3p arm of the precursor hairpin rather than the 5p arm. miR-206 has 12 additional family members, whereby the seed sequence is 100% conserved across all miRNAs within the family.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms are also present in the miRNA sequence, some of them with functional consequences, in the sense that the efficiency of miRNA binding to a cognate mRNA target is altered depending on a single nucleotide substitution. In fact a number of studies have indicated that the canonical seed sequence of a miRNA is not longer the sole determinate in miRNA:mRNA pairing interactions, as mutations of residues outside the seed region alters binding efficacy.
miR-206 is of interest due to the continued detection of this miRNA in samples from those with type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In some studies the therapeutic delivery of miR-206 in a dietary obese mouse model resulted in reduced lipid and glucose production within the liver. The ability of miR-206 to facilitate insulin signaling and modulate lipogenesis indicates miR-206 may be a novel therapy for those with hyperglycemia.