Over the past five years, the importance of a diverse class of 18-24 nucleotide RNA molecules, known as microRNAs (miRNAs) has increasingly been recognized. These highly conserved RNAs regulate the stability and translational efficiency of complementary target messenger RNAs. The human genome is now predicted to encode nearly 1,000 miRNAs that likely regulate at least one third of all human transcripts. Despite rapid progress in miRNA discovery, the physiologic functions of only a small number have been definitively established. In this review, we discuss the principles of miRNA function that have emerged from the studies performed thus far in vertebrates. We also discuss known and potential roles for miRNAs in human disease states and discuss the influence of human genetic variation on miRNA-mediated regulation.

中文翻译：

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microRNAs在脊椎动物生理学和人类疾病中的作用。

在过去的五年中，越来越多的人认识到了18-24个核苷酸的RNA分子（称为microRNA）的重要性。这些高度保守的RNA调节互补靶信使RNA的稳定性和翻译效率。现在预测人类基因组将编码将近1,000种可能调节至少所有人类转录本三分之一的miRNA。尽管miRNA的发现取得了迅速的进展，但已经确定地建立了少数生理功能。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了迄今为止在脊椎动物中进行的研究中出现的miRNA功能原理。我们还讨论了miRNA在人类疾病状态中的已知作用和潜在作用，并讨论了人类遗传变异对miRNA介导的调控的影响。