microRNAs are transcribed as ~70 nucleotide precursors and subsequently processed by the Dicer enzyme to give a ~22 nucleotide product. In this case the mature sequence comes from the 5' arm of the precursor. The mature products are thought to have
regulatory roles through complementarity to mRNA.[3]
mir-192 and mir-215 are thought to be positive regulators of p53, a human tumour suppressor.[4] They are also overexpressed in gastric cancer, and could be used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets.[5] It has also been suggested that mir-192 could be used as a biomarker for drug-induced liver damage.[6]
miR-215 and miR-192 are also both implicated in major depressive disorder. Small-RNA sequencing reveals upregulated expression for both miR-215 and miR-192 in the synaptosomes derived from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of MDD subjects.[7]