MicroRNAs are an abundant class of molecules, approximately 22 nucleotides in length, which can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by binding to the 3' UTR of mRNAs expressed in a cell.

[1] The gene encoding miR-22 is found on the short arm of chromosome 17, in a minimal loss of heterozygosity region.

It is highly conserved across many vertebrate species, including chimp, mouse, rat, dog and horse.

One known target is histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), which is known to have a critical role in cancer development.

[5] This prevents transcription of c-Myc target genes by silencing c-MYCBP.