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microRNAs (miRNA) are naturally occurring, small non-protein coding sequences that are involved in post-translational gene regulation and have been implicated in a variety of biological processes and diseases. These small RNAs (~22nt) also have a large impact on many complex pathophysiological responses, making them a key part of life science research on mammalian and plant systems.

microRNA Mimics are chemically modified, double-stranded miRNA-like RNA which are designed to copy the functionality of mature endogenous miRNA upon transfection. At the 5'-end, it is synthesized with a partially complementary motif to 3'UTR end of the target gene, which allows the miRNA mimic to specifically bind to the target. Using mimics enables miRNA functionality assessments and serves as a useful exogenous tool for gain-of-function studies.

microRNA Inhibitors are chemically synthesized, complementary, antisense single-stranded oligonucleotides to their target, endogenous mature miRNA. It effectively prevents the target miRNA to bind to normal cellular binding sites. The inhibitors block miRNA regulation of a target gene expression by stable suppression, being able to knock down native miRNA expression in cells, and thus can be used in miRNA loss-of-function related studies.

Agomirs / Antagomirs are a new class of chemically engineered miRNA mimics and inhibitors. Agomirs are chemically-modified double-strand miRNA mimics that the antisense strands contain 2'-methoxy modification throughout the entire strand; 2 phosphorothioates at the 5’ end; and 4 phosphorothioates plus 4 cholesterol moieties at the 3’ end. Antagomirs are single-strand miRNA inhibitors carrying the same chemical modifications. Agomirs and Antagomirs exhibit enhanced transfection efficiency and increased resistance to various RNases.

miRNA profiling allows for the detection and quantification of miRNAs with high sensitivity and specificity, and provides researchers with both raw and processed data for quick interpretation and comparison of multiple samples.

Lentiviral vectors and ready-to-use lentiviruses and adenoviruses allow researchers to over-express or inhibit individual miRNAs to study their functional roles in both in vitro and in vivo systems.

Target validation for miRNAs can be performed with 3'UTR reporter vectors, lentiviruses, or stable cell lines utilizing a reporter gene such as luciferase or GFP.

Finding the best tools for miRNA research is a challenging task and will depend on sample type, experimental scope and functional analysis. abm offers a comprehensive selection of products and services for miRNA profiling, isolation, detection, expression, inhibition, and target validation to meet your research needs.