Role of microRNAs in the predisposition to gastrointestinal malignancies

Figure 1 The hairpin-like structure of miRNA and its’ precursors (pri-miRNA and pre-miRNA).

Figure 2 Schematic illustration summarizing the miRNA “pathway” including miRNA biosynthesis, processing and mRNA inhibition by RNA inducing silencing complex. Numbers in red define the three sites potentially affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms as well as their interaction with environmental and host-related factors. +: Activation; -: Inhibition; RISC: RNA inducing silencing complex.