[Detection technologies of microRNA and their prospects for forensic applications]

MicroRNA (miRNA) belongs to a class of small, non-coding RNA molecules that contains 18-25 nucleotides and regulates gene expression at post-transcriptional level. Many miRNAs are highly conserved and display timing- and tissue-specific expression. With the advance of the miRNA detection technologies, miRNA has been introduced to forensic science as a potentially novel set of genetic markers of forensic body fluid identification, species identification and PMI estimation. In this article, the detection methodologies of miRNA are reviewed, and their potential applications in forensic practice and research future are also discussed.