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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Describing a Transcription Factor Dependent Regulation of the MicroRNA Transcriptome
Published on: June 15, 2016
Predicting MicroRNA Mediated Gene Regulation between Human and Viruses
Xin Shu1, Xinyuan Zang2, Xiaoshuang Liu3
1The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. cpu_shuxin@126.com.
This study introduces mirTarP, a tool for predicting microRNA (miRNA) targets, and mirTar, a database of human-virus miRNA interactions. These resources aid in understanding cross-kingdom gene regulation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression.
- miRNAs play a role in human-virus interactions.
- Limited data exists on cross-kingdom miRNA target sites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a genome-scale prediction pipeline for miRNA targets.
- To construct a comprehensive database of human-virus miRNA interactions.
- To facilitate research on gene regulatory networks between humans and viruses.
Main Methods:
- Designed the mirTarP prediction pipeline for large-scale miRNA target screening.
- Built the mirTar database, a repository of bidirectional interspecies miRNA regulation.
- Classified viruses using ICTV and medical microbiology standards for user accessibility.
Main Results:
- Developed mirTarP for efficient miRNA target prediction.
- Established mirTar, a comprehensive database of human-virus miRNA interactions.
- Provided categorized virus information for ease of use.
Conclusions:
- mirTarP and mirTar are valuable resources for investigating human-virus interactions.
- The tools support research in molecular biology and medicine.
- These resources enable extensive study of cross-kingdom gene regulatory networks.
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