Regulatory Potential of piRNAs Targeting Klotho and Other Genes
Pyrkova A. Akhmetova K. Zhanuzakov M. Tauassarova M. Rakhmetulina A. Niyazova R. Orazova S. Zielenkiewicz P. Ivashchenko A.
February 2026Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Genes
2026#17Issue 2
Background/Objectives: piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNAs) can significantly modify the expression of protein-coding genes by suppressing the translation process. The aim of this work was to computationally evaluate the potential interactions between piRNAs and the mRNA of the Klotho gene, as well as other genes involved in key metabolic pathways related to health and lifespan regulation. Methods: Bioinformatic analysis was conducted using the MirTarget program, which determines the quantitative characteristics of predicted nucleotide interactions between piRNAs and mRNA targets. Results: Several piRNAs (piR-44682, piR-1940042, piR-3008660, piR-3215034, piR-6885965, and piR-7980636) were predicted to bind within a single cluster of binding sites on the KL mRNA. In addition, piR-6890096 was predicted to interact with the KL mRNA through full complementarity. The mRNAs of AFF2, BCL2L11, CPT1A, DAZAP1, NDRG3, SKIDA1, WBP4, ZIC5, and ZSWIM6 were predicted to interact with piR-3215034 and piR-6885965, forming clusters of binding sites located in the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR), coding sequence (CDS), and 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR). Additionally, piR-576442, piR-1501557, piR-1845735, piR-2069834, and piR-3029987 were predicted to bind only within the 3′UTR of FGF23 mRNA. These results suggest that piRNAs are potential regulators of KL and other genes involved in key metabolic processes. Conclusions: The findings provide a basis for further experimental validation of predicted piRNA–mRNA interactions and their possible roles in gene regulation.
aging , disease , human , Klotho gene , miRNA , mRNA , piRNAs
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Department of Computer Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Higher School of Medicine, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, 02-106, Poland
Department of Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Institute of Experimental Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, 02-096, Poland
Center for Bioinformatics and Nanomedicine, Almaty, 050060, Kazakhstan
Department of Computer Sciences
Higher School of Medicine
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Department of Biotechnology
Institute of Experimental Plant Biology and Biotechnology
Center for Bioinformatics and Nanomedicine
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