MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single-strand non-protein-coding RNA molecules, of 17-25 nucleotides in length. miRNAs function as negative posttranscriptional gene regulators, regulating mRNA translation and degradation in animals, plants and viruses. Recent evidences demonstrated that miRNAs play a critical role in many biological processes, also including haematopoietic cell differentiation, apoptosis, cell proliferation, organ development and stress response. Thus, it becomes a trend to understand the miRNA and mRNA expression profiles simultaneously using a holistic approach.
