MicroRNA是一种长约22nt的非编码RNA, 通过与靶基因的3′UTR区结合来调控靶基因的表达。目前已证实miRNA在生物体生长、发育和疾病发生等过程中发挥着重要的作用。文章介绍了miRNA的特征、作用机制, 综述了关于miRNA的功能、miRNA基因的鉴定与靶基因预测的最新研究进展。

MicroRNAs, a class of noncoding RNA of approximately 22 nucleotides, can regulate gene expression by binding to the regin of 3¢ UTR of the target mRNAs. To date,it has been demonstrated for organism that miRNAs play an important role in growth,development,and occurrence of disease. This paper introduces the character and the active mechanism of miRNAs,and the newest progress in the research on the function of microRNA,the identification of microRNA gene and the prediction of target gene also are summarized here.