Abstract
Cellular differentiation is regulated on the level of gene expression, and it is known that dysregulation of gene expression can lead to deficiencies in differentiation that contribute to a variety of diseases, particularly of the immune system. Until recently, it was thought that the dysregulation was governed by changes in the binding or activity of a class of proteins called transcription factors. However, the discovery of micro-RNAs and recent descriptions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have given enormous momentum to a whole new field of biology: the regulatory RNAs. In this review, we describe these two classes of regulatory RNAs and summarize what is known about how they regulate aspects of the adaptive and innate immune systems. Finally, we describe what is known about the involvement of micro-RNAs and lncRNAs in three different autoimmune diseases (celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis).
Highlights
The discovery of the first micro-RNA in 1993 [1, 2] was the start of research that has led to the understanding that gene regulation is controlled by proteins and RNA molecules
We describe what is known about the involvement of micro-RNAs and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in three different autoimmune diseases
We will review what is known about the role of miRNAs and lncRNAs in the development and activation of the adaptive and innate immune systems in health and disease
Summary
The discovery of the first micro-RNA (miRNA) in 1993 [1, 2] was the start of research that has led to the understanding that gene regulation is controlled by proteins (transcription factors) and RNA molecules. Two of the most widely studied classes of non-coding RNAs, miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are recognized as important regulators of gene expression. These molecules are designated as (small or long) regulatory RNAs. At the time of writing this review, the authorative miRNA database miRBase (release 21) describes 1,881 human miRNA precursors and 2,588 human mature miRNA sequences [4], whereas the GENCODE compendium (V19) mentions 13,870 human lncRNA genes [5]. Many lncRNAs are thought to be involved in chromatin modification processes that, in turn, affect gene expression levels (Figure 1).
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