miRDeep2 accurately identifies known and hundreds of novel microRNA genes in seven animal clades

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large class of small non-coding RNAs which post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of a large fraction of all animal genes and are important in a wide range of biological processes. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing allow miRNA detection at unprecedented sensitivity, but the computational task of accurately identifying the miRNAs in the background of sequenced RNAs remains challenging. For this purpose, we have designed miRDeep2, a substantially improved algorithm which identifies canonical and non-canonical miRNAs such as those derived from transposable elements and informs on high-confidence candidates that are detected in multiple independent samples. Analyzing…

• H
  Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft
• BF
  Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
• CS
  China Scholarship Council