Since miR-212 and miR-132 share the same seed region it is widely believed that they target the same mRNAs. However, only a few putative miR-212/132 targets have been verified experimentally, which include MeCP2, Rb1and HB-EGF. There is increasing evidence available now showing that the 5′ and 3′ regions of the miRNAs can form the basis of differential target recognition despite having the identical seed region (Brennecke et al., 2005; Jalvy-Delvaille et al., 2012). There is also a possibility that differential expression or availability of these members can also regulate gene expression in a differential manner. Future studies in this respect could further help in improving our understanding of how miR-212 and miR-132 regulate different neuronal and non-neuronal functions or if these two miRNAs are functionally redundant? More generally, these findings highlight the novel role for miRNAs in addiction, and suggest that other ncRNAs may also play important roles in the disorder.
