miRMaid: a unified programming interface for microRNA data resources

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNAs that play a key role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in animals and plants. The number of known miRNAs has increased rapidly over the years. The current release (version 14.0) of miRBase, the central online repository for miRNA annotation, comprises over 10.000 miRNA precursors from 115 different species. Furthermore, a large number of decentralized online resources are now available, each contributing with important miRNA annotation and information. Results: We have developed a software framework, designated here as miRMaid, with the goal of integrating miRNA data resources in a uniform web service interface that can be accessed and queried by researchers and, most importantly, by computers. miRMaid is built around data from miRBase and is designed to follow the official miRBase data releases. It exposes miRBase data as inter-connected web services. Third-party miRNA data resources can be modularly integra...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: Anders Jacobsen, Anders Krogh, Sakari Kauppinen, Morten Lindow
• Keywords: BMCBI 2010, MiRNA Annotation, MiRNA Data Resources, Web Service