Age-related microRNAs profiling in rat brains using deep sequencing

This study has identified 171 novel miRNA candidates in rat brains, making evaluation of the full regulating mechanism for age-related genes or pathways feasible. This study has also revealed that age is a critical regulator for miRNA expression, and the age-related decline of miRNA expression is not a progressive process, but rather a biphasic one. Age-regulated miRNAs are predicted to target genes involving in nodes of signalling pathways relevant to brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.