Novel Method for Analyzing the Relation of miRNA Seed Length and the miRNA-mRNA Interaction Strength

MicroRNAs have been recognized as an important regulator of gene expression among a number of species. Although analysis done in genomics, on a comparative basis, indicate that miRNAs have many targets, how these targets respond to the miRNA targeting at the seed region, have not been fully explored. The application of correlation method for identifying the breast cancer specific seed region of miRNA for two breast cancer specific mRNAs BRCA1 and ERBB2 is presented in this paper. The results obtained indicated a peak at the point of maximum coincidence between miRNAs and its target. A nearly linear relationship between the miRNA seed length and the correlation strength between the mRNA and its corresponding miRNAs was also observed.