Abstract
This article describes several recent examples of miRNA governing the regulation of the gene expression involved in bone matrix construction. We present the impact of miRNA on the subsequent steps in the formation of collagen type I. Collagen type I is a main factor of mechanical bone stiffness because it constitutes 90–95% of the organic components of the bone. Therefore, the precise epigenetic regulation of collagen formation may have a significant influence on bone structure. We also describe miRNA involvement in the expression of genes, the protein products of which participate in collagen maturation in various tissues and cancer cells. We show how non-collagenous proteins in the extracellular matrix are epigenetically regulated by miRNA in bone and other tissues. We also delineate collagen mineralisation in bones by factors that depend on miRNA molecules. This review reveals the tissue variability of miRNA regulation at different levels of collagen maturation and mineralisation. The functionality of collagen mRNA regulation by miRNA, as proven in other tissues, has not yet been shown in osteoblasts. Several collagen-regulating miRNAs are co-expressed with collagen in bone. We suggest that collagen mRNA regulation by miRNA could also be potentially important in bone metabolism.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralCollagen fibres, type I, which is the dominant type of bone collagen, are responsible for the strength and elasticity of bone tissues [1,2]
Since the regulation of collagen type I by miR-29b or miR-133 was described in other tissues, and these miRNAs are co-expressed in bone, collagen may possibly be regulated in bone by the same miRNAs
The quantity and spatial organisation of collagen, non-collagenous proteins, polysaccharides and minerals determine the mechanical properties of bone
Summary
Type I, which is the dominant type of bone collagen, are responsible for the strength and elasticity of bone tissues [1,2]. The process of collagen formation requires intracellular and extracellular and enzymatic and non-enzymatic stages, which have been well described in bone tissue (Table 1). The well-known enzymedependent steps of collagen formation are regulated by tissue-specific miRNA, targeting. MiRNAs are involved in essential processes for the development and functioning of the cell, such as cell division, differentiation and programmed death. They regulate the expression of genes at the post-transcriptional level, affecting the number of individual proteins in the body and ensuring the proper course of processes in the cell. Understanding the miRNA-dependent systems that regulate collagen in multiple tissues could be significant in studying similar miRNA–mRNA regulatory mechanisms in bone. We suggest that the same regulatory relationship as in non-skeletal cells may occur in bone cells
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