The PolymiRTS database currently focuses on featuring polymorphisms in miRNA seed regions and miRNA target sites. Recent studies have revealed the functional importance of genetic polymorphisms in other parts of the miRNA regulome (46,47). Polymorphisms in pre-miRNAs, pri-miRNAs and miRNA promoters have been associated with many diseases. For example, a polymorphism in the pre-miRNA of has-miR-146a has been associated with the risk of cervical cancer (13), a polymorphism in the pri-miRNA of has-miR-128b has been linked to acute lymphocytic leukemia (48) and a polymorphism in the promoter of miR-200b-a-429 cluster has been associated with the risk of non-small cell lung cancer (49). Future updates of PolymiRTS database may include the SNPs and INDELs in pri-miRNAs, pre-miRNAs and promoters of miRNAs. The database also needs to be updated regularly to include the ever-growing new genomic data. We have developed a program package to process new data and add them to the database semi-automatically. This program package allows us to perform regular database updates more efficiently.
