Dicer is a specialized ribonuclease that processes double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into small RNA fragments from 20 to 25 nucleotides in length during the initiation phase of RNA interference (RNAi). Mammalian Dicer has been identified and found to be a large multi-domain protein (~215 kDa) characterized by containing DEAD - RNA helicase/ATPase domain, a PAZ domain, two RNaseIII domains, dsRNA-binding domain and one domain with unknown function (DUF283). The expression of Dicer appears to be constitutive, but the level of its expression varies among tissues. Regulation of Dicer's activity still remains an open question.

It is well known that RNA molecules play much more different roles in the living world than it had been expected earlier. They can function as: carriers of genetic information, cofactors inducing or mediating biochemical reactions, enzymes, inhibitors deactivating enzymes or agents that regulate cellular processes. Small regulatory RNAs (siRNA, tasiRNA, rasiRNA, miRNA) are, alongside proteins, main factors that regulate gene expression. They control transcription, RNA stability, translation, structure of genes, interactions between host cells and viruses.

We put forward a hypothesis that in higher organisms there might exist short regulatory RNA molecules that specifically bind proteins and influence their biological activity. The main goal of the work is identification of short RNA molecules that influence activities of human Dicer and verification whether identified RNAs are encoded in transcribed parts of human genome.

Nucleic acid selection (SELEX) has proven to be an extremely versatile technique for the isolation of oligonucleotides that can bind tightly and specifically to the target molecule. We performed 15 cycles of selection against human Dicer and than carried out computational analysis of obtained sequences and tested the influence of chosen oligonucleotides on Dicer's activity.

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