中文摘要：

随着新一代测序技术的不断发展，面对海量的序列数据，如果仅靠生物实验的方法来挖掘微RNA（microRNA，miRNA）的基因功能似乎不可能，因此，通过判别新miRNA家族归属来预测其相关生物学功能为实际生物实验的研究开辟新的思路。该文运用基因簇判别方法，基于原始家族信息，对未确定家族归属或新发现的miRNA进行判别，确定其基因家族。研究发现，同一家族的成熟体miRNA成员序列之间存在高度相似性，并且参与相同的调控通路或作用于相同的靶基因，具有相似的生物学功能。因此，通过基因簇判别预测新miRNA家族归属，对新miRNA的基因表达实验与验证具有十分重要的指导意义。

英文摘要：

Ding Tao, Gao Jie （School of Science, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China） With the development of new generation of sequencing technology, it seems impossible to find miRNA functions through biological experiment alone. So identifying the family for new miRNA and predicting its biological functions will provide a new method for experimental research. Based on the original family information, the unclassified or new miRNAs can be classified into a definited family with gene cluster discriminant analysis. The results show that there is a high degree of similarity among mature miRNAs in the same family. Considering that members in the same miRNA family participate in the same pathway or act on the same target genes, the same family miRNAs will have similar biological functions. Thus, the unclassified miRNA can be identified by gene cluster discrimination, which plays a vital role in experimentation and verification for new miRNA functions.