gms | German Medical Science

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through numerous ways including translational inhibition, degradation and destabilization of mRNAs. Early assessments suggested that miRNAs control activities of around 30% of all protein coding genes in mammals. In spite of the fact that thousands of miRNAs have been identified in various organisms ranging from viruses to higher eukaryotes, many still remain undetermined. Since a single miRNA might target hundreds of mRNAs and an mRNA could be targeted by many miRNAs, miRNA based regulation is a complex system influencing both the transcriptome and proteome. Consequently, the identification of novel miRNAs is a fundamental step for analyzing gene regulation, which led to the construction of sophisticated computational tools for identification of possible miRNAs in silico.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

The authors declare that an ethics committee vote is not required.