MicroRNA Detection: Current Technology and Research Strategies

Abstract

The relatively new field of microRNA (miR) has experienced rapid growth in methodology associated with its detection and bioanalysis as well as with its role in -omics research, clinical diagnostics, and new therapeutic strategies. The breadth of this area of research and the seemingly exponential increase in number of publications on the subject can present scientists new to the field with a daunting amount of information to evaluate. This review aims to provide a collective overview of miR detection methods by relating conventional, established techniques [such as quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), microarray, and Northern blotting (NB)] and relatively recent advancements [such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), highly sensitive biosensors, and computational prediction of microRNA/targets] to common miR research strategies. This should guide interested readers toward a more focused study of miR research and the surrounding technology.

New insights for therapeutic recombinant human miRNAs heterologous production: Rhodovolum sulfidophilum vs Escherichia coli

“…27 Actually, diverse ways are available for miRNA detection including conventional techniques such as Northern blotting, microarray and RT-qPCR but also biosensor techniques that include electrochemical-based detection or opticalbased detection. 28 On the other hand, RNA quantification is mainly achieved by ultraviolet absorbance, microcapillary electrophoresis and fluorescence-based quantification. 27 In particular, RT-qPCR assays may offer a highly precise and specific way to detect and quantify microRNAs.…”

Evaluation of miRNA Detection Methods for the Analytical Characteristic Necessary for Clinical Utilization

“…Nevertheless, many approaches for detecting miRNA have been introduced. The most common are RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), microarrays and reverse transcription PCRs (RT-qPCR) [9]. …”

“…Many different probes are usually bound on a solid surface and thus miRNA expression chips with hundreds of targets are created. Chips are commercially available with preselected targets or can be tailored to the customer's needs [9]. In principle, microarrays can provide very precise information about absolute concentration of miRNA.…”

“…The sensitivity of microarray is lower than RNA-seq because there is no amplification step. Measurement is also limited by the sensitivity of the fluorescence reader, so expensive instrumentation is required [9,11]. …”

Enhancing miRNAs Capture on Polydimethylsiloxane Surface with Nanostructuration

“…, in particular, is largely studied since is overexpressed in a variety of solid [8,9] and hematological tumors [10,11]. For these reasons, miR-21 was selected as a microRNA prototype in this study.Recently, it has been proposed that nanotechnology-based approaches [12][13][14] alternative to conventional methods [15][16][17][18][19] for miRNA detection and quantification can be developed using innovative biosensors made of Polydimetylsiloxane (PDMS) [20][21][22]. PDMS is known to have numerous advantages, supporting its development as a useful platform for biosensor and biomedical applications [20,[23][24][25].…”