MicroRNAs – targeting and target prediction

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that can regulate many genes by base pairing to sites in mRNAs. The functionality of miRNAs overlaps that of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and many features of miRNA targeting have been revealed experimentally by studying miRNA-mimicking siRNAs. This review outlines the features associated with animal miRNA targeting and describes currently available prediction tools.