Integrated Analysis of miRNA and mRNA Expression Profiles to Identify miRNA Targets.

miRNAs are involved in various biological processes and different diseases through interacting with their target mRNAs. Therefore, deciphering miRNA targets is important for diagnostics and therapeutics. However, it is still complex and expensive to do large scale screening for miRNA alterations and identify their downstream miRNA targets. Recently, integrating analysis of miRNA expression profiles and mRNA expression levels has been used to successfully identify the most prominent interactions. Here, we present a protocol that combines both expression data and computational prediction to refine the microarray result for identifying the miRNA targets. Many details are also provided to help researchers choose more appropriate tools and methods for a given type of application. Available web-based resources and experimental conditions for functional enrichment and validation of miRNA targets are also summarized.