title: Prediction and preliminary validation of oncogene regulation by miRNAs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one of the most abundant groups of regulatory genes in multicellular organisms, playing important roles in many fundamental cellular processes. More than four hundred miRNAs have been identified in humans and the deregulation of miRNA expression has been also shown in many cancers. Despite the postulated involvement of miRNAs in tumourigenesis, there are only a few examples where an oncogene or a tumour suppressor has been identified as a miRNA target.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we present an in silico analysis of potential miRNA- oncogene interactions. Moreover, we have tested the validity of two possible interactions of miRNAs with genes related to cancer. We present evidence for the down-regulation of c-MYC, one of the most potent and frequently deregulated oncogenes, by let-7 miRNA, via the predicted binding site in the 3'UTR, and verify the suppression of BCL-2 by miR16.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this work both bioinformatic and experimental approaches for the prediction and validation of possible targets for miRNAs have been used. A list of putative targets for different oncomirs, validation of which would be of special interest, is proposed and two such interactions have been experimentally validated.
authors: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas, PO Box 1385, GR-71110, Heraklion/Crete, Greece. edytak@ibch.poznan.pl
authors: Edyta
authors: E
authors: Koscianska
authors: Vesselin
authors: V
authors: Baev
authors: Konstantinia
authors: K
authors: Skreka
authors: Katerina
authors: K
authors: Oikonomaki
authors: Ventsislav
authors: V
authors: Rusinov
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Tabler
authors: Kriton
authors: K
authors: Kalantidis
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000187:drug effects; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D034622:RNA Interference; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D035683:MicroRNAs