Although a great deal is known about the identity, biogenesis, and targeting capacity of
microRNAs (miRNAs) in animal cells, far less is known about their functional requirements at
the organismal level. Much remains to be understood about the necessity of miRNAs for
overt phenotypes, the identity of critical miRNA targets, and the control of miRNA
transcription. In this review, we provide an overview of genetic strategies to study miRNAs in
the Drosophila system, including loss-and gain-of-function techniques, genetic interaction …