miR-134 is a family of microRNA precursors found in mammals, including humans.[1] MicroRNAs are typically transcribed as ~70 nucleotide precursors and subsequently processed by the Dicer enzyme to give a ~22 nucleotide product.[2] The excised region or, mature product, of the miR-134 precursor is the microRNA mir-134.
miR-134 was one of a number of microRNAs found to be increasingly expressed in schizophrenia.[3]
miR-134 is a brain-specific microRNA; in rats it is localised specifically in hippocampal neurons and may indirectly regulate synaptic development through antisense pairing with LIMK1 mRNA.[4][5] In the human brain, SIRT1 is thought to mediate CREB protein through miR-134, giving the microRNA a role in higher brain functions such a memory formation.[6]
miR-134 has also been reported to function in mouse embryonic stem cells as part of a complex network regulating their differentiation.[7]