Bioinformatics analysis of miRNA-target gene interactions in chickenPetrović, Aleksa (Avtor) Kunej, Tanja (Mentor) miRNAtarget genesMTI networkdifferential expressioninteraction hubsMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and are involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes. However, no com-prehensive map of miRNA-target interactions (MTIs) has yet been constructed for chicken, an important animal model in research. This study aimed to construct an inter-action network of the complete miRNA regulome in chicken by compiling all currently experimentally validated MTIs from miRTarBase and relevant literature, including phe-notype associations and differential expression data. We extracted 115 unique MTIs comprising 64 miRNAs and 81 target genes, and constructed an interaction network using Cytoscape. The network revealed that most MTIs are associated with development and various diseases, most of which related to cancer. Several miRNAs, such as gga-miR-23b-5p and gga-miR-199-5p, exhibited persistent upregulation across multiple car-diogenesis-related MTIs, indicating potential regulatory hubs. Target genes such as CTNNB1 were regulated by multiple miRNAs and were upregulated in ovarian cancer phenotypes. This work represents the first complete depiction of the chicken miRNA regulome and provides a framework for identifying key regulatory molecules in devel-opment and disease.20252025-09-21 07:17:30Diplomsko delo/naloga173748sl