microRNA-21a

MIR21rna

miR-21a suppresses lipid-homeostasis genes and enhances inflammatory signaling in atherosclerotic plaque.

Pathway placement

Cascade stepLipid retention & oxidation

Confidencemedium

RationaleTargets genes in lipid metabolism and immune signaling; dysregulation in atherosclerotic tissue.

Also acts inVascular inflammation

Druggability

DruggableNo

Known drugs / candidates0

Small-molecule tractableNo

Antibody tractableNo

EnsemblENSG00000284190

Type I vs Type II discrimination

ScoresLow-confidence (proxy)

R — rupture / Type-I

C — confounder / Type-II

A — assay feasibility

E — evidence strength

T1DI (composite)

Specificity differential (R−C)-37.9

Confounder panel (Type-II drivers)

No confounder evidence retrieved.

Tier: light (literature co-occurrence proxy — lower confidence). See the discrimination table for all markers.

Class-level default (no specific cleared assay)— generic method inferred from analyte class; confirm against a specific product insert before use.

Specimen

Whole blood or cell-free plasma

Collection tube

PAXgene/Tempus RNA tube · K2/K3-EDTA (lavender-top)

Method / principle

RT-qPCR (TaqMan) or small-RNA sequencing

Reagent / substrate

Target-specific primers/probe; reverse transcriptase (miRNA: stem-loop RT primer)

Platform

qPCR instrument / NGS

Turnaround · availability

Research / send-out · Research (few LDTs)