MicroRNAs miR-1, -133 and -208: Same Faces, New Roles

摘要

Micro-RNAs (miRNA) are noncoding RNAs that pair with specific mRNA targets and regulate their expression. The binding specificity of miRNAs depends on complementary base pairing at the 5' end of the miRNA with the 3' untranslated region of the corresponding mRNA. Binding of miRNAs to their cognate target mRNAs commonly leads to decreased expression of target genes through repression of translation or mRNA degradation. Increased expression of miRNAs can also result in paradoxical upregulation of previously suppressed target genes either directly, by decreasing the expression of inhibitory proteins and/or transcription factors, or indirectly, by inhibiting the expression levels of inhibitory miRNAs. Alternatively, decreased expression levels of inhibitory miRNAs can directly lead to increased target gene expression. Exponentially increasing research and understanding of the role played by miRNAs in post-transcriptional control and regulation of multifaceted processes, such as cardiac development, myocardial hypertrophy, arrhythmogenicity, heart failure and ventricular remodeling [reviewed in ref. 1], has perhaps been the single most novel advancement in molecular cardiology over the past decade.