title: Correlations of microRNA:microRNA expression patterns reveal insights into microRNA clusters and global microRNA expression patterns.
abstract: MicroiRNAs are genome encoded small double stranded RNAs that regulate expression of homologous mRNAs. With approximately 2500 human miRNAs and each having hundreds of potential mRNA targets, miRNA based gene regulation is quite pervasive in both development and disease. While there are numerous studies investigating miRNA:mRNA and miRNA:protein target expression correlations, there are relatively few studies of miRNA:miRNA co-expression. Here we report on our analysis of miRNA:miRNA co-expression using expression data from the miRNA expression atlas of Landgraf et al. Our analysis indicates that many, but not all, genomically clustered miRNAs are co-expressed as a single pri-miRNA transcript. We have also identified co-expression groups that have similar biological activity. Further, the non-correlative miRNAs we have uncovered have been shown to be of utility in establishing miRNA biomarkers and signatures for certain tumours and cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, 114 Street and 87 Avenue T6G 2H7, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. rfahlman@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Chaulk
authors.affiliation: ETH Zürich, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Auguste Piccard Hof 1, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ebhardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, 114 Street and 87 Avenue T6G 2H7, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. rfahlman@ualberta.ca and Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Fahlman
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger