Integrative Immunobiology Unit, Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Cancer Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med. 2010 Mar-Apr;2(2):148-161. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.53.
We briefly review the history of microRNA (miRNA) research and some of the lessons learnt. To provide some insights as to how and why miRNAs came into existence, we consider the evolution of the RNA interference machinery, miRNA genes, and their targets. We highlight the importance of systems biology approaches to integrate miRNAs as an essential subnetwork for modulating gene expression programs. Building accurate computational models that can simulate highly complex cell-specific gene expression patterns in mammals will lead to a better understanding of miRNAs and their targets in physiological and pathological situations. The impact of miRNAs on medicine, either as potential disease predisposing factors, biomarkers, or therapeutics, is highly anticipated and has started to reveal itself.
我们简要回顾了 miRNA（microRNA）研究的历史和一些经验教训。为了深入了解 miRNA 是如何以及为何产生的，我们考虑了 RNA 干扰机制、miRNA 基因及其靶标的进化。我们强调了系统生物学方法的重要性，它可以将 miRNA 作为调节基因表达程序的重要子网络进行整合。构建能够模拟哺乳动物中高度复杂的细胞特异性基因表达模式的精确计算模型，将有助于深入了解 miRNA 及其在生理和病理情况下的靶标。miRNA 对医学的影响，无论是作为潜在的疾病易感性因素、生物标志物还是治疗方法，都备受期待，并已开始显现。
