The Importance of Changes to microRNA in the Evolution of Homo Neanderthalensis and Homo Denisova

The Importance of Changes to microRNA in the Evolution of Homo Neanderthalensis and Homo Denisova

K.V. Gunbin, D.A. Afonnikov, N.A. Kolchanov, and A.P. Derevianko.

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.

Keywords: Homo neanderthalensis, Homo denisova, miRNA, molecular evolution.