Prediction tools for miRNA targets: toward a better comprehension for Biologists

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Because of their wide network of interactions, miRNAs became over the past decade the focus of many studies. To streamline the amount of potential wet lab experiments, the use of miRNAs targets predictions tools is nowadays the first step undertaken. However, the predictions made are very divergent from one tool to another. This is mostly due to miRNAs complex and still not fully understood mechanism of action. Such divergences bring biologists to wonder about which tool they should use to predict miRNAs targets. To address this issue, the review highlights the main characteristics of miRNA target interaction, describes prediction models currently used, and gives some insights on predictors’ performances evaluation.