Minimal Standards for Reporting microRNA:Target Interactions

Epigenomics is one of the leading frontiers of postgenomics medicine. The challenges and prospects ahead in epigenomics are related not merely to technology innovation and clinical implementation but also to science communication. In this context, microRNAs (miRNAs) are an important part of the epigenomic regulatory machinery. As the number of publications reporting miRNA-target interactions (MTIs) is growing rapidly, there is an urgent need to standardize reporting. This study reports (1) an analysis of the published literature and databases reporting validated MTIs, and for the first time to the best of our knowledge (2) suggests a solution as a way forward, the minimum information required for MTI standard reporting. We retrieved the research reports from PubMed and Web of Science dating from 09/2006 to 01/2017 and downloaded information from DIANA-TarBase, miRecords, and miRTarBase. We evaluated the reporting and extracted MTI data, which we complemented with relevant genomic information. We suggest a standard minimum checklist for MTI reporting, consisting of seven pertinent data types: miRNA gene, target gene, species, experimental validation, sequence variants, associated phenotype, and additionally a PubMed identification (PMID) number in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Our proposal reported here shall enable faster development of MTI databases and bioinformatics resources, and looking into the future, more efficient planning of experimental designs in the nascent field of epigenomics and its postgenomics applications.