A SOM based method for miRNA-target prediction

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non coding RNAs with regulatory functions to post-transcriptional level. They play an important role in molecular and cellular mechanisms, thanks to their ability to bind and interact with many RNA messengers (mRNAs) of coding product involved in a wide range of biological pathways, cellular status, and conditions. They are more often seen as key regulators of pathological conditions as cancer. Indeed a wide range of studies evidence a potential role of these small molecules as biomarkers in this disease. The first evidence of miRNAs arose in Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda; Rhabditidae). Studies on nematodes have been applied in a wide range of fields, in order to understand the molecular biology of humans and animals. In animals the miRNA-mRNA interaction occurs through an imperfect binding, which makes the computational prediction of the target a challenging task. We present here a Self Organizing Map (SOM) based method for the miRNA target prediction, characterized by the projection of any mRNA sequence allowing to find an interaction with miRNAs.