Revealing posttranscriptional regulatory elements through network-level conservation
We used network-level conservation between pairs of fly (Drosophila melanogaster/D. pseudoobscura) and worm (Caenorhabditis elegans/C. briggsae) genomes to detect highly conserved mRNA motifs in 3' untranslated regions. Many of these elements are complementary to the 5' extremity of known microRNAs (miRNAs), and likely correspond to their target sites. We also identify known targets of RNA-binding proteins, and many novel sites not yet known to be functional.