MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are members of
non-coding RNAs that range in size from 17 to 25 nucleotides. miRNAs regulate a large variety of biological functions in plants and animals.
[72] So far, in 2013, about 2000 miRNAs have been discovered in humans and these can be found online in a miRNA database.
[73] Each miRNA expressed in a cell may target about 100 to 200 messenger RNAs(mRNAs) that it downregulates.
[74] Most of the downregulation of mRNAs occurs by causing the decay of the targeted mRNA, while some downregulation occurs at the level of translation into protein.
[75]