microRNAs及其法医学应用前景

microRNAs and their prospects for forensic applications

microRNAs(miRNAs)是一类内源性的非编码小分子RNA,平均长度约22nt,广泛存在于各种真核细胞中,并参与调节细胞生长发育、分化、凋亡、衰老、疾病及肿瘤的发生等众多重要生命活动。基于其生物学功能,miRNAs可能在法医学体液来源鉴定、个体年龄推断、同卵双生子甄别等方面具有广阔的应用前景。

microRNAs （miRNAs） are a class of small, endogenous, non-protein-coding RNA molecules of approximately 22 nucleotides in length, and exist extensively in a variety of eukaryotic cells. miRNAs regulate gene expression and play fundamental roles in multiple biological processes, including cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis as well as aging and disease processes. Based on their biological characteristics, miRNAs have broad application prospects in the field of forensic science, such as forensic body fluid identification , individual age estimation and discrimination of monozygotic twins.