Integrated Analysis of MicroRNA (miRNA) and mRNA Profiles Reveals Reduced Correlation between MicroRNA and Target Gene in Cancer

Abstract Background: Accumulating evidences demonstrated that microRNA-target gene pairs were closely related to tumorigenesis and development. However, the correlation between miRNA and target gene was insufficiently understood, especially its changes between tumor and normal tissues. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of correlation of miRNAs-target pairs between normal and tumor. Materials and Methods: 5680 mRNA and 5740 miRNA expression profiles of 11 major human cancers were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The 11