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Cited by 1,765MicroRNA in disease regulationGene expression and cancer classificationPlant Molecular Biology Research

MicroRNA profiling: approaches and considerations

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Pritchard, Colin C., Cheng, Heather H., Tewari, Muneesh·2012·Nature Reviews Genetics
DOI 10.1038/nrg3198PMC PMC4517822
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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of thousands of genes in a broad range of organisms in both normal physiological contexts and in disease contexts. miRNA expression profiling is gaining popularity because miRNAs, as key regulators in gene expression networks, can influence many biological processes and also show promise as biomarkers for disease. Technological advances have spawned a multitude of platforms for miRNA profiling, and an understanding of the strengths and pitfalls of different approaches can aid in their effective use. Here, we review the major considerations for carrying out and interpreting results of miRNA-profiling studies.

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  • Inconsistent results among CSF microRNA studies have been attributed in part to various technical limitations and demographic diversity between sample cohorts.

    “Obviously, various technical limitations and demographic diversity between sample cohorts may have contributed, in part, to such conflicting results20–22.”

    From Intra- and Inter-individual Variability of microRNA Levels in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid: Critical Implications for Biomarker Discovery (2017) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Data Analysis and Interpretation section describes technical biases and batch effects in miRNA profiling, while Conclusions and Perspective notes sample-to-sample biological variability. The paper does not attribute conflicting CSF study results specifically to those factors or identify demographic diversity between cohorts as a cause. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • There has been a lack of consistent findings and even conflicting data among miRNA biomarker studies.

    “Although the expression profiles of circulating miRNAs have been extensively studied under various disease conditions, it is noteworthy that there has been a lack of consistent finding and even conflicting data among miRNA biomarker studies16,20–22.”

    From Intra- and Inter-individual Variability of microRNA Levels in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid: Critical Implications for Biomarker Discovery (2017) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Circulating Biomarkers section (page unavailable) says circulating miRNAs have been studied as disease biomarkers and raises concern about controlling pre-analytic and analytic variables. It does not say that biomarker studies have produced inconsistent or conflicting findings; searches for discordance and reproducibility did not locate that claim in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Pritchard, C. C., Cheng, H. H., & Tewari, M.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Tewari, Muneesh
ORCID
Venue
Nature Reviews Genetics
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2012-04-18
Volume
13
Issue
5
Pages
358-369
ISSN
  • 1471-0056 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-0064
DOI
10.1038/nrg3198
PMC
PMC4517822
OpenAlex
W2105679485
Cited by
1,765
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 60 · 2025: 93 · 2024: 103 · 2023: 126 · 2022: 126 · 2021: 149 · 2020: 122 · 2019: 143 · 2018: 132 · 2017: 173 · 2016: 138 · 2015: 148 · 2014: 131 · 2013: 94 · 2012: 27
FWCI
9.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Reviews Genetics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5p50ca083636-15)
  • National Cancer Institute (P50-CA083636, P50 CA83636, P50-CA97186, U01CA086368, T32CA009515, P30CA015704, P50CA097186)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK085714)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › MicroRNA in disease regulation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gene expression and cancer classification
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Molecular Biology Research
Keywords
miRNA expression profiling, post-transcriptional regulation, biomarkers
MeSH terms
Animals, Base Sequence, Gene Expression Regulation, Sequence Analysis, RNA, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Gene Expression Profiling, Databases, Genetic, MicroRNAs, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

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