title: A combined computational-experimental approach predicts human microRNA targets.
abstract: A new paradigm of gene expression regulation has emerged recently with the discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs). Most, if not all, miRNAs are thought to control gene expression, mostly by base pairing with miRNA-recognition elements (MREs) found in their messenger RNA (mRNA) targets. Although a large number of human miRNAs have been reported, many of their mRNA targets remain unknown. Here we used a combined bioinformatics and experimental approach to identify important rules governing miRNA-MRE recognition that allow prediction of human miRNA targets. We describe a computational program, "DIANA-microT", that identifies mRNA targets for animal miRNAs and predicts mRNA targets, bearing single MREs, for human and mouse miRNAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Center for Bioinformatics, and Computer and Information Science, School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Marianthi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiriakidou
authors.forename: Peter T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kouranov
authors.forename: Petko
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fitziev
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouyioukos
authors.forename: Zissimos
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mourelatos
authors.forename: Artemis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatzigeorgiou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D019295:Computational Biology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger