由于miRNA具有重要的生物学功能，所以一直是研究者关注的热点研究内容。为探明食源miRNA的存在及其对细胞和生物体内靶基因的调控机制，项目以已经建立的RNA-seq技术为基础，开展以下研究工作：(1) 通过特异性茎环引物设计，利用荧光定量PCR分析食品原料及贮存加工制品中miRNA的存在和丰度变化，以及与贮存加工影响因素之间的关系，并结合Solexa测序技术鉴定食源miRNA种类。(2)以食源miRNA处理细胞和裸鼠，探明能够在细胞和生物体富集的食源miRNA。(3)运用RNA-seq技术，通过生物信息学分析，从转录组水平揭示食源miRNA对细胞及动物体内靶基因的网络调控，预测并注释靶基因表达产物的生物学功能。其研究成果不仅丰富了食品化学组成物质在贮存加工过程中变化规律的理论知识，以及它对靶基因表达调控的基础科学理论，还具有指导人们健康、安全饮食和预防疾病发生、发展的实际意义。

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have always been the hot spot because of its important biological functions. Based on RNA-seq technique, the project contains the research work as follows: 1）Design specific stem-loop primer and make the use of real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR to analyze the presence and abundance of miRNAs in raw-food materials and processed food. Identify the food-derived miRNA with Solexa sequencing technology. 2）Treat L929 mouse cell lines and mice with miRNAs which are abundant in food source respectively. Then extract miRNAs of cells, blood and organs of mice respectively to prove miRNAs which are able to be absorbed by cells and organisms. 3）Using RNA-seq technology, the transfection of cell lines, blood and organs of mice treated with food-derived miRNAs were screened. After data processing and bioinformatics analysis, we plan to reveal how food-derived miRNAs control the target genes in cells and animals and predict the biological functions of products expressed by target genes. The results not only enrich the theory knowledge of chemical composition change in process of food production and storage as well as the basic scientific theory of chemical composition's effects on organism regulation, but it also has practical guiding significance in people's health, food safety and disease prevention.