A guide to microRNA-mediated gene silencing

As an important regulator of gene expression in eukaryotes, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been subject to extensive research to understand their pleiotropic roles in development and pathological processes. Here, we review strategies that have been developed to map microRNA-target interactions and the most effective methods to attribute post-transcriptional gene regulation through miRNA-mediated silencing. We further discuss the importance of the biological context for silencing.