Heart Care Info - Heart Disease Prevention & Treatment

Circulating microRNAs to identify human heart failure

AG Seto... - European Journal of Heart Failure, 2012 - Micro RNAs (mi RNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that act in a proteinnucleic acid complex, called the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), to repress gene expressioneither through destabilization of an m RNA, or through inhibition of protein translation. The ...

Micro RN As (mi RN As) are short, non-coding RN As that act in a protein–nucleic acid complex, called the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), to repress gene expression—either through destabilization of an m RNA, or through inhibition of protein translation. The mechanism of mi RNA action is mainly through complementary binding of the 5′ end of the mi RNA to the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the targeted transcript.1 Although short in length, the effects of mi RNA action are far reaching: some estimate that as much as 50% of the genome may be regulated by these petite RN As.2 Further attesting to their important biological function, mi RN As are conserved from plants to human and are found in nearly all cell types (mirbase.org).

In the last few years, the dysregulation of tissue expression levels of mi RN As has been causally linked to a wide variety of diseases, including cardiac disease.3–5 Based on these findings, therapeutic applications for mi RNA regulation are currently being explored. Recent rodent, non-human primate,6,7 and even human efficacy data (http://www.santaris.com/news/2011/ 10/03/santaris-pharma-report-new-clinical-data-miravirsen-phase-2a -study-treat-hepatitis-c) indicate that antimi R compounds that inhibit specific mi RN As have the potential to become an entire new class of drugs.

In addition to expression changes in tissues, more recent studies have indicated that mi RN As are detectable and highly stable in plasma, serum,8 and other biological fluids. Furthermore, the levels of circulating mi RN As have been shown to correlate with disease, thereby suggesting that mi RN As, in addition to being potential therapeutic targets, might also have utility as diagnostic biomarkers. For ...