Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) originate from a loss of neurons in the central nervous system and are severely debilitating. The incidence of NDDs increases with age, and they are expected to become more common due to extended life expectancy. Because no cure is available, these diseases have become a major challenge in neurobiology. The increasing relevance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in biology has prompted investigation into their possible involvement in neurodegeneration in order to identify new therapeutic targets. The idea of using miRNAs as therapeutic targets is not far from realization, but important issues need to be addressed before moving into the clinics. Here, we review what is known about the involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of NDDs. We also report the miRNA expression levels in peripheral tissues of patients affected by NDDs in order to evaluate their application as biomarkers of disease. Finally, discrepancies, innovations, and the effectiveness of collected data will be elucidated and discussed.
Highlights
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are a family of disorders characterized by progressive loss of neuronal function and structure, resulting in neuronal death in the nervous system
Following the discovery of miRNAs, their actions were investigated in almost all biological processes and, even more importantly, their central role in gene-expression regulation implicated in many human diseases (Subramanian et al, 2008; Thum et al, 2008; Eisenberg et al, 2009; Malumbres et al, 2009; Matkovich et al, 2009; Crist and Buckingham, 2010; Maciotta et al, 2012). miRNAs are of particular interest in understanding complex disorders, such as NDDs, because they can potentially regulate several pathways involved in the insurgence and progression of the disease
In the last few years, miRNAs have been considered as biomarkers; they offer several advantages over mRNA or protein, including increased stability and biological relevance in many different diseases
Summary
Reviewed by: Daniele Bano, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Germany Sebastian Kadener, The Hebrew University, Israel. Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) originate from a loss of neurons in the central nervous system and are severely debilitating. The incidence of NDDs increases with age, and they are expected to become more common due to extended life expectancy. The increasing relevance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in biology has prompted investigation into their possible involvement in neurodegeneration in order to identify new therapeutic targets. The idea of using miRNAs as therapeutic targets is not far from realization, but important issues need to be addressed before moving into the clinics. We review what is known about the involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of NDDs. We report the miRNA expression levels in peripheral tissues of patients affected by NDDs in order to evaluate their application as biomarkers of disease.
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