Frequency response in microRNA-mediated genetic regulation

SZISCHIK CANDELA; ELSI FERRO; CARLA BOSIA; ALEJANDRA C VENTURA

Trieste

Workshop; Workshop on Signatures of Nonequilibrium Fluctuations in Life; 2023

International Centre for Theoretical Physics

Amongst non-coding RNAs, microRNAs are pivotal post-transcriptionalregulators of gene expression in higher eukaryotes. Through a titration-based mechanismof interaction with their target RNAs, microRNAs can mediate a weak butpervasive form of RNA cross-regulation, as different endogenous RNAs can be effectivelycoupled by competing for microRNA binding (a phenomenon now knownas ‘crosstalk’). Mathematical modelling has been proven of great help in unravelingmany features of these competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) interactions. However,although many studies have been devoted to the steady-state properties of thisindirect regulatory layer, little is known about how the information encoded in frequency,amplitude, duration, and other features of regulatory signals can affect theresulting ceRNA crosstalk picture and hence the overall patterns of gene expression.Here we focus on such dynamical aspects, with a special emphasis on the encodingand decoding of time-dependent signals.