Roles of miR-15b in endothelial cell function and their relevance to vascular diseases

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs with a short length of about 22 nucleotides. As major modulators participating in RNA interference, they affect cellular behaviors by regulating the expression of diverse genes at post-transcriptional levels. miR-15b is a member of the miR-15/16 family, which is broadly expressed in major tissues and specially enriched in the endovascular system of human beings. miR-15/16 affects cellular proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and angiogenesis. In this review, we summarize the role and the underlying mechanism of miR-15b as well as other miR-15/16 family members in different cells, especially in endothelial cells. We focus on the diverse roles of miR-15b in the occurrence, progression and prognosis of vascular diseases, with particular emphasis on preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder related to endovascular dysfunction in the placenta.