The physiological and pathophysiological roles of adipocyte miRNAs

2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyan Ling ◽  
Xing Li ◽  
Chao Hua Yao ◽  
Bi Hu ◽  
Duanfang Liao ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved, small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Their actions affect numerous important biological processes, including adipocyte differentiation and function, sugar and lipid metabolism, and insulin production and secretion. Recent reports suggest miRNAs may also be involved in the pathogenic processes of obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance. In this review, we summarize research progresses on adipocyte miRNAs and their physiological and pathological implications.

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús García-López ◽  
Miguel A. Brieño-Enríquez ◽  
Jesús del Mazo

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are cell-endogenous small noncoding RNAs that, through RNA interference, are involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of mRNAs. The biogenesis and function of miRNAs entail multiple elements with different alternative pathways. These confer a high versatility of regulation and a high variability to generate different miRNAs and hence possess a broad potential to regulate gene expression. Here we review the different mechanisms, both canonical and noncanonical, that generate miRNAs in animals. The ‘miRNome’ panorama enhances our knowledge regarding the fine regulation of gene expression and provides new insights concerning normal, as opposed to pathological, cell differentiation and development.


2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (22) ◽  
pp. 1049-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paige E. Bennett ◽  
Lynne Bemis ◽  
David A. Norris ◽  
Yiqun G. Shellman

Melanoma is a very aggressive skin cancer with increasing incidence worldwide. MicroRNAs are small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression of targeted gene(s). The hallmark of cancer model outlined by Hanahan and Weinberg offers a meaningful framework to consider the roles of microRNAs in melanoma development and progression. In this systematic review of the literature, we associate what is known about deregulation of microRNAs and their targeted genes in melanoma development with the hallmarks and characteristics of cancer. The diagnostic and therapeutic potential of microRNAs for future melanoma management will also be discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 711-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Ting Chen ◽  
Yulong Yin ◽  
Chen-Yu Zhang ◽  
Yong-Liang Zhang

ABSTRACT MicroRNAs are a class of small RNAs that play essential roles in various biological processes by silencing genes. Evidence emerging in recent years suggests that microRNAs in food can be absorbed into the circulatory system and organs of humans and other animals, where they regulate gene expression and biological processes. These food-derived dietary microRNAs may serve as a novel functional component of food, a role that has been neglected to date. However, a significant amount of evidence challenges this new concept. The absorption, stability, and physiological effects of dietary microRNA in recipients, especially in mammals, are currently under heavy debate. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the unique characteristics of dietary microRNAs and concerns about both the mechanistic and methodological basis for studying the biological significance of dietary microRNAs. Such efforts will benefit continuing investigations and offer new perspectives for the interpretation of the roles of dietary microRNA with respect to the health and disease of humans and animals.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noam Shomron ◽  
David Golan ◽  
Eran Hornstein

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression through translational inhibition or mRNA degradation by binding to sequences on the target mRNA. miRNA regulation appears to be the most abundant mode of posttranscriptional regulation affecting 50% of the transcriptome. miRNA genes are often clustered and/or located in introns, and each targets a variable and often large number of mRNAs. Here we discuss the genomic architecture of animal miRNA genes and their evolving interaction with their target mRNAs.


Platelets ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Águila ◽  
Ernesto Cuenca-Zamora ◽  
Constantino Martínez ◽  
Raúl Teruel-Montoya

In this chapter, we discuss different topics always using the microRNA as the guiding thread of the review. MicroRNAs, member of small noncoding RNAs family, are an important element involved in gene expression. We cover different issues such as their importance in the differentiation and maturation of megakaryocytes (megakaryopoiesis), as well as the role in platelets formation (thrombopoiesis) focusing on the described relationship between miRNA and critical myeloid lineage transcription factors such as RUNX1, chemokines receptors as CRCX4, or central hormones in platelet homeostasis like TPO, as well as its receptor (MPL) and the TPO signal transduction pathway, that is JAK/STAT. In addition to platelet biogenesis, we review the microRNA participation in platelets physiology and function. This review also introduces the use of miRNAs as biomarkers of platelet function since the detection of pathogenic situations or response to therapy using these noncoding RNAs is getting increasing interest in disease management. Finally, this chapter describes the participation of platelets in cellular interplay, since extracellular vesicles have been demonstrated to have the ability to deliver microRNAs to others cells, modulating their function through intercellular communication, redefining the extracellular vesicles from the so-called “platelet dust” to become mediators of intercellular communication.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trinna L Cuellar ◽  
Michael T McManus

microRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved, non-coding RNAs that powerfully regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. These fascinating molecules play essential roles in many biological processes in mammals, including insulin secretion, B-cell development, and adipocyte differentiation. This review provides a general background regarding current knowledge about miRNA biogenesis and the potential contributions of these RNAs to endocrine function.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Ping Zhu ◽  
Yun-Jie He ◽  
Jun-Chen Hou ◽  
Xiu Chen ◽  
Si-Ying Zhou ◽  
...  

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are recently regarded as a naturally forming family of widespread and diverse endogenous noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that may regulate gene expression in mammals. At present, above 30000 circRNAs have already been found, with their unique structures to maintain stability more easily than linear RNAs. Several previous literatures stressed on the important role of circRNAs, whose expression was relatively correlated with patients’ clinical characteristics and grade, in the carcinogenesis of cancer. CircRNAs are involved in many regulatory bioprocesses of malignance, including cell cycle, tumorigenesis, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, vascularization, through adsorbing RNA as a sponge, binding to RNA-binding protein (RBP), modulating transcription, or influencing translation. Therefore, it is inevitable to further study the interactions between circRNAs and tumors and to develop novel circRNAs as molecular markers or potential targets, which will provide promising applications in early diagnosis, therapeutic evaluation, prognosis prediction of tumors and even gene therapy for tumors.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheroy Minocherhomji ◽  
Prochi F. Madon ◽  
Firuza R. Parikh

Infertility is a complex human condition and is known to be caused by numerous factors including genetic alterations and abnormalities. Increasing evidence from studies has associated perturbed epigenetic mechanisms with spermatogenesis and infertility. However, there has been no consensus on whether one or a collective of these altered states is responsible for the onset of infertility. Epigenetic alterations involve changes in factors that regulate gene expression without altering the physical sequence of DNA. Understanding these altered epigenetic states at the genomic level along with higher order organisation of chromatin in genes associated with infertility and pericentromeric regions of chromosomes, particularly 9 and Y, could further identify causes of idiopathic infertility. Determining the association between DNA methylation, chromatin state, and noncoding RNAs with the phenotype could further determine what possible mechanisms are involved. This paper reviews certain mechanisms of epigenetic regulation with particular emphasis on their possible role in infertility.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1828-1840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Maatouk ◽  
Brian D. Harfe

Over 10 years ago, the lab of Victor Ambros cloned an unusual gene,lin-4, which encodes two small RNA transcripts[1]. In the past few years, hundreds more of these tiny transcripts, termed microRNAs (miRNAs), have been uncovered in over a dozen species. The functions of the first two miRNAs,lin-4andlet-7, were relatively easy to identify since they were found in forward genetic screens in Caenorhabditis elegans[1,2,3]. However, uncovering the functions of the growing list of miRNAs presents a challenge to developmental biologists. This review will describe our current understanding of how miRNAs regulate gene expression and will focus on the roles these noncoding RNAs play during the development of both invertebrate and vertebrate species.


Author(s):  
Zongpei Song ◽  
David K. C. Cooper ◽  
Zhiming Cai ◽  
Lisha Mou

The pig is an important source of meat production and provides a valuable model for certain human diseases. MicroRNA (miRNA), which is non-coding RNA and regulates gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, plays a critical role in various biological processes. Studies on identification and function of mature miRNAs in multiple pig tissues are increasing, yet the literature is limited. Therefore, we reviewed current research to determine the miRNAs expressed in specific pig tissues that are involved in carcass values (including muscle and adipocytes), reproduction (including pituitary, testis, and ovary), and development of some solid organs (e.g., brain, lung, kidney, and liver). We also discuss the possible regulating mechanisms of miRNA. Finally, as pig organs are suitable candidates for xenotransplantation, biomarkers of their miRNA in xenotransplantation were evaluated.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document