miRClassify: An advanced web server for miRNA family classification and annotation

MicroRNA (miRNA) family is a group of miRNAs that derive from the common ancestor. Normally, members from the same miRNA family have similar physiological functions; however, they are not always conserved in primary sequence or secondary structure. Proper family prediction from primary sequence will be helpful for accurate identification and further functional annotation of novel miRNA. Therefore, we introduced a novel machine learning-based web server, the miRClassify, which can rapidly identify miRNA from the primary sequence and classify it into a miRNA family regardless of similarity in sequence and structure. Additionally, the medical implication of the miRNA family is also provided when it is available in PubMed. The web server is accessible at the link http://datamining.xmu.edu.cn/software/MIR/home.html.