What is the Difference Between siRNA and miRNA?

The main difference between siRNA (small interfering RNA) and miRNA (microRNA) lies in their origin, structure, target specificity, and purpose. Here are the key differences:

1. Origin: siRNA is an exogenous double-stranded RNA taken up by cells, while miRNA is single-stranded and comes from endogenous non-coding RNA.
2. Structure: siRNA is a 21-23 nucleotide long RNA duplex with a dinucleotide 3' overhang, whereas miRNA is a 19-25 nucleotide RNA hairpin that forms a duplex by binding with itself.
3. Target Specificity: siRNA is highly specific, inhibiting the expression of only one mRNA target, while miRNA can inhibit the translation of multiple mRNA targets due to its imperfect pairing.
4. Purpose: siRNA primarily provides viral defense and genome stability, while miRNA functions as a regulator of gene expression.

Both siRNA and miRNA are involved in gene silencing and have therapeutic potential for cancer and other diseases. However, their mechanisms of action and clinical applications are distinct. siRNA is highly specific, making it suitable for targeting individual oncogenes, while miRNA has multiple targets and can modulate multiple pathways, which is advantageous for treating complex multigenic diseases.

Comparative Table: siRNA vs miRNA

The search results provided do not contain the necessary information to create a table comparing siRNA and miRNA. However, based on my existing knowledge, I can provide a comparison between the two:

Please note that this comparison is based on my existing knowledge, and I cannot provide a complete table with more details from the search results.