MicroRNA modules prefer to bind weak and unconventional target sites.

ABSTRACT:

Motivation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in gene regulation. Although it is well known that multiple miRNAs may work as miRNA modules to synergistically regulate common target mRNAs, the understanding of miRNA modules is still in its infancy.

Results

We employed the recently generated high throughput experimental data to study miRNA modules. We predicted 181 miRNA modules and 306 potential miRNA modules. We observed that the target sites of these predicted modules were in general weaker compared with those not bound by miRNA modules. We also discovered that miRNAs in predicted modules preferred to bind unconventional target sites rather than canonical sites. Surprisingly, contrary to a previous study, we found that most adjacent miRNA target sites from the same miRN

SUBMITTER: Ding J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4410656 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature