Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 7, 2026
09:40
Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy
Published on: October 4, 2019
6.1K
Correlating bladder cancer risk genes with their targeting microRNAs using MMiRNA-Tar
Yang Liu1, Steve Baker2, Hui Jiang3
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN 47803, USA.
Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics
|July 15, 2015
Summary
Researchers can now visualize mRNA-microRNA expression correlations using MMiRNA-Tar. This tool aids in predicting gene-regulatory relationships in cancer, specifically analyzing bladder cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
- Cancer Research
Background:
- The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) offers extensive cancer genome data, including microRNA expression.
- Understanding microRNA-mRNA interactions is crucial for cancer research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate MMiRNA-Tar, a web tool for analyzing mRNA-microRNA expression correlations.
- To predict potential microRNA-mRNA targeting relationships in bladder cancer.
Main Methods:
- Developed MMiRNA-Tar web interface for calculating and plotting mRNA-microRNA expression correlations.
- Utilized TCGA bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) datasets (53 tumor, 11 normal samples).
- Applied prediction confidence criteria using TargetProfiler, TargetScan, and miRanda databases.
Main Results:
- Identified 204 microRNAs correlated with five known bladder cancer risk genes.
- Observed opposite expression correlations between tumor and normal samples for selected mRNA-microRNA pairs.
- Discovered 496 additional genes potentially targeted by 79 significant microRNAs based on FDR < 0.1 and correlation direction.
Conclusions:
- MMiRNA-Tar provides a user-friendly platform for visualizing microRNA-mRNA co-expression and predicting targeting interactions.
- Correlating expression profiles offers a complementary method for elucidating microRNA-mRNA functional relationships in cancer.
Related Concept Videos
01:22MicroRNAs
4.3K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
4.3K
01:22MicroRNAs
24.7K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After...
24.7K