Mar-Aguilar Fermín, Rodríguez-Padilla Cristina, Reséndez-Pérez Diana
Departamento de Biología Celular y Genética, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León 66451, México.
Departamento de Inmunología y Virología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León 66451, México.
Oncol Lett. 2016 Jun;11(6):3563-3570. doi: 10.3892/ol.2016.4446. Epub 2016 Apr 18.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a family of small, endogenous and evolutionarily-conserved non-coding RNAs that are involved in the regulation of several cellular and functional processes. miRNAs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in all types of cancer, and could be used as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers. Databases and computational algorithms are behind the majority of the research performed on miRNAs. These tools assemble and curate the relevant information on miRNAs and present it in a user-friendly manner. The current review presents 14 online databases that address every aspect of miRNA cancer research. Certain databases focus on miRNAs and a particular type of cancer, while others analyze the behavior of miRNAs in different malignancies at the same time. Additional databases allow researchers to search for mutations in miRNAs or their targets, and to review the naming history of a particular miRNA. All these databases are open-access, and are a valuable tool for those researchers working with these molecules, particularly those who lack access to an advanced computational infrastructure.
微小RNA（miRNA/miR）是一类小的、内源性的且在进化上保守的非编码RNA，参与多种细胞和功能过程的调控。在所有类型的癌症中，miRNA可作为癌基因或肿瘤抑制因子，并且可被用作预后和诊断生物标志物。数据库和计算算法是大多数关于miRNA研究的基础。这些工具收集和整理有关miRNA的相关信息，并以用户友好的方式呈现。本综述介绍了14个在线数据库，这些数据库涉及miRNA癌症研究的各个方面。某些数据库专注于miRNA和特定类型的癌症，而其他数据库则同时分析miRNA在不同恶性肿瘤中的行为。另外的数据库允许研究人员搜索miRNA或其靶标的突变，并查阅特定miRNA的命名历史。所有这些数据库都是开放获取的，对于研究这些分子的研究人员，特别是那些无法使用先进计算基础设施的研究人员来说，是一个有价值的工具。
