MicroRNAs and Diseases: Promising Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Therapeutics

[摘要] Human genome draft has shown presence of less than 25,000–28,000 genes in the human genome from such huge genomic contents, so a shift has occurred in the focus of research from mRNAs to noncoding RNAs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), non-coding short RNA molecules are known hot area of research since past two decades, which regulate gene expression by binding to target mRNAs, resulting in translational repression and gene silencing. Approximately 3000 miRNA molecules have been explored in the mammalian genome, from which over 2000 belong to the human genome. Many major cellular functions such as development, differentiation, growth, and metabolism are known to be regulated by miRNAs. Propinquity to distinct genes in the genome and their locations in introns of coding genes, non-coding genes and exons have been explored to have a major influence on the level of gene expressions in eukaryotic cells.