MicroRNAs研究方法与技术

The methods and technology of microRNAs research

MicroRNAs简称miRNAs(微小RNAs),是真核生物、原核生物以及病毒中由非编码蛋白基因转录的初级microRNAs加工成的调控因子。在转录后水平和蛋白质翻译水平,microRNAs通过降解或翻译抑制甚至激活来调控靶mRNA。实验和计算机方法已应用于microRNAs和靶基因的鉴定。大规模测序技术使得microRNAs在不同物种的多样性分析得以实现。着重介绍microRNAs、靶基因及其功能研究的实验技术和计算机方法,以及基于microR-NAs的保守性,借助模式生物中已知的microRNAs,研究其在其他生物中的功能和作用。

MieroRNAs（miRNAs） are small regulatory factors, noncoding RNA molecules transcribed as primary microRNAs （pri-microRNAs） from eukaryotic genomes, prokaryotic genomes and virus. The target mRNAs could be inhibited or activated by degradation or translation during post-transcriptional and translational control of gene expression. Both experimental and computational approaches were used to identify microRNAs and their target genes. Deep sequencing methods recently allowed the analysis of small RNA diversity in different species. This review focused on experimental and computational methods and techniques used in researching microRNAs and target genes, and the functional study of microRNAs was mentioned. In addition, based on the conservatism of microRNAs, studied the function and the role of a new microRNA which was unknown in other organisms while was known in a model organism.