Computational Methods for the Identification of MicroRNAs from Small RNA Sequencing Data

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large class of small noncoding RNAs that interact with the target mRNAs and thereby regulate expression of thousands of genes. Due to their diversity and critical position in gene regulatory networks, miRNAs are involved in virtually every aspect of a cell's life, from differentiation to apoptosis, and have been implicated in various human diseases. The advent of second (next)-generation sequencing technologies allowed experimental identification of the diversity of small RNAs, and greatly facilitated discovery and annotation of miRNA genes. In this chapter, I provide an overview of the computational methods for miRNA discovery based on small RNA sequencing data.