Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1034650 Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 2012 9 Pages PDF
Abstract

MicroRNA (hereafter, miRNA) genes have an important role in the transcriptional regulation of protein-coding genes, modulation of embryonic development, differentiation of embryonic stem cells, tissue formation and other processes. In this paper, we present an integrated study of the fastest evolving miRNAs in Homo neanderthalensis and Homo denisova, whose genomes have recently been sequenced. It has been demonstrated by the analysis of the functions of genes targeted by these miRNAs and changes in the secondary structures of their precursors that mutations in miRNA genes may have played a major role in the evolution of H. neanderthalensis and H. denisova, especially in the development and function of their brains.

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