Transcripts targeted by the microRNA-16 family cooperatively regulate cell cycle progression

microRNAs (miRNAs) are abundant, ~21 nucleotide (nt) non-coding regulatory RNAs. Each miRNA may regulate hundreds of mRNA targets, but the identities of these targets and the processes they regulate are poorly understood. Here we have explored the use of microarray profiling and functional screening to identify targets and biological processes triggered by transfection of miRNAs into human cells. We demonstrate that a family of miRNAs sharing sequence identity with miR-16 negatively regulates cellular growth and cell cycle progression. miR-16 down-regulated transcripts were enriched for genes whose silencing by siRNAs causes cell cycle accumulation at G0/G1. Simultaneous silencing of these genes was more effective at blocking cell cycle progression than disruption of the individual genes. Thus, miR-16 coordinately regulates targets that may act in concert to control cell cycle progression. Keywords: miRNA, microRNA, miR-16, target, cell cycle, G0/G1, microarray profiling, functional screen, Please see for details: Linsley PS, Schelter J, Burchard J, Kibukawa M, Martin MM, Bartz SR, Johnson JM, Cummins JM, Raymond CK, Dai H, Chau N, Cleary M, Jackson AL, Carleton M, and Lim L. MCB (2007).