Adult-specific functions of animal microRNAs

Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are actively involved in diverse aspects of adult physiology, including in stem cells, in the nervous system, cardiovascular system and during metabolism and ageing. In the context of cancer development, miRNAs could serve either as tumour suppressors or as oncogenes in a tissue-dependent manner. Continuous functions of miRNAs during adulthood and availability of methodologies for miRNA manipulation make miRNAs promising as therapeutic targets and agents. We evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current methods to study miRNA functions specifically in the adults.