Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, which play significant roles as posttranscriptional regulators. The functions of animal miRNAs are generally based on complementarity for their 5' components. Although several computational miRNA target-gene prediction methods have been proposed, they still have limitations in revealing actual target genes.
Results: We implemented miTarget, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier for miRNA target gene prediction. It uses a radial basis function kernel as a similarity measure for SVM features, categorized by structural, thermodynamic, and position-based features. The latter features are introduced in this study for the first time and reflect the mechanism of miRNA binding. The SVM classifier produces high performance with a biologically relevant data set obtained from the literature, compared with previous tools. We predicted significant functions for human miR-1, miR-124a, and miR-373 using Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and revealed the importance of pairing at positions 4, 5, and 6 in the 5' region of a miRNA from a feature selection experiment. We also provide a web interface for the program.
Conclusion: miTarget is a reliable miRNA target gene prediction tool and is a successful application of an SVM classifier. Compared with previous tools, its predictions are meaningful by GO analysis and its performance can be improved given more training examples.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-7-411 | DOI Listing |
J Anim Sci Biotechnol
January 2025
Department of Animal Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
Background: Sow longevity and reproductivity are essential in the modern swine industry. Although many studies have focused on the genetic and genomic factors for selection, little is known about the associations between the microbiome and sows with longevity in reproduction.
Results: In this study, we collected and sequenced rectal and vaginal swabs from 48 sows, nine of which completed up to four parities (U4P group), exhibiting reproductive longevity.
Hum Genomics
January 2025
Division of Genome Science, Department of Precision Medicine, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28159, Republic of Korea.
Background: Congenital anomalies (CAs) encompass a wide spectrum of structural and functional abnormalities during fetal development, commonly presenting at birth. Identifying the cause of CA is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Using a target-gene approach, genetic variants could be found in certain CA patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrphanet J Rare Dis
January 2025
Division of Pediatric Epileptology, Department of Pediatrics I, Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder affecting multiple organ systems, with a prevalence of 1:6,760-1:13,520 live births in Germany. On the molecular level, TSC is caused by heterozygous loss-of-function variants in either of the genes TSC1 or TSC2, encoding the Tuberin-Hamartin complex, which acts as a critical upstream suppressor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a key signaling pathway controlling cellular growth and metabolism. Despite the therapeutic success of mTOR inhibition in treating TSC-associated manifestations, studies with mTOR inhibitors in children with TSC above two years of age have failed to demonstrate beneficial effects on disease-related neuropsychological deficits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Direct
January 2025
Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
Background: Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is essential for the formation of membraneless organelles and significantly influences cellular compartmentalization, chromatin remodeling, and gene regulation. Previous research has highlighted the critical function of liquid-liquid biopolymers in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods: This study conducted a comprehensive review of 3,685 liquid-liquid biopolymer regulators, leading to the development of a LLPS related Prognostic Risk Score (LPRS) for HCC through bootstrap-based univariate Cox, Random Survival Forest (RSF), and LASSO analyses.
Mol Cancer
January 2025
Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No.117, West of Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Background: Drug resistance and immune escape continue to contribute to poor prognosis in AML. Increasing evidence suggests that exosomes play a crucial role in AML immune microenvironment.
Methods: Sanger sequencing, RNase R and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to confirm the existence of circ_0006896.
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