A pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of muscle disease or cachexia, which comprises as an active ingredient miRNA or a variant thereof located in a Dlk1-Dio3 cluster.

摘要

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions for the prevention or treatment of muscle diseases or cachexia, comprising miRNAs located in Dlk1-Dio3 clusters or variants thereof as active ingredients. In the present invention, it has been found that the expression of miRNA located in the Dlk1-Dio3 cluster decreases with increasing age. Increased myotube diameter was observed, especially when most miRNAs were overexpressed in well-differentiated myotubes. Furthermore, in a tumor-induced cachexia mouse model, cachexia was confirmed to be ameliorated by inhibition of the Atrogin-1 protein. Therefore, miRNAs or variants thereof located in Dlk1-Dio3 clusters are useful in the treatment and prevention of Atrogin-1-dependent muscle disease and cachexia.