title: A probabilistic approach to explore human miRNA targetome by integrating miRNA-overexpression data and sequence information.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systematic identification of microRNA (miRNA) targets remains a challenge. The miRNA overexpression coupled with genome-wide expression profiling is a promising new approach and calls for a new method that integrates expression and sequence information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We developed a probabilistic scoring method called targetScore. TargetScore infers miRNA targets as the transformed fold-changes weighted by the Bayesian posteriors given observed target features. To this end, we compiled 84 datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus corresponding to 77 human tissue or cells and 113 distinct transfected miRNAs. Comparing with other methods, targetScore achieves significantly higher accuracy in identifying known targets in most tests. Moreover, the confidence targets from targetScore exhibit comparable protein downregulation and are more significantly enriched for Gene Ontology terms. Using targetScore, we explored oncomir-oncogenes network and predicted several potential cancer-related miRNA-messenger RNA interactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  TargetScore is available at Bioconductor: http://www.bioconductor.org/packages/devel/bioc/html/TargetScore.html.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Genetics and Genome Biology, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7 and Banting and Best Department of Medical Research and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
authors.forename: Ka-Chun
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Zhaolei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001499:Bayes Theorem; D015536:Down-Regulation; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D063990:Gene Ontology; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009857:Oncogenes; D011336:Probability; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger