Construction of microRNA-containing vectors for expression in mammalian cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by single-stranded RNAs of 18 to 25 nucleotides in length. Hundreds of miRNAs have been found in animals and plants, some of which play important roles in development or differentiation. Increasing attention has thus been paid to their biogenesis and regulation mechanisms and the identification of target genes. We are constructing a comprehensive expression vector library containing predicted human miRNAs. miRNA expression vectors containing human RNA polymerase II or III promoters, and utilizing a flexible vector system, can be useful for functional analysis.