Mar

31

miRNAs’ Therapeutic Potential

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10-06GEN_Mar15_01a-31

Scientists Scrutinize Promising Molecules as Potential Drug Targets and Biomarkers

Genetic Engineering News – Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) finely regulate gene expression and play an important role in various cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. To date, more than 5,000 of these endogenous, noncoding single-stranded RNAs have been identified. miRNAs act through binding to complementary mRNA sequences, thereby preventing their translation into protein or accelerating mRNA breakdown. Investigators are working on exploiting these molecules for experimental and potential therapeutic applications. (read more)

Nov

24

MicroRNAs – Integral components of the regulatory network controlling injury response

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Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas used microarray analysis to compare miRNA expression patterns of primary rat cardiomyocytes with different levels of myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs). MRTFs associate with serum response factor (SRF) to drive the expression of actin and other cytoskeletal protein genes. miR-145 and miR-143 were among the most strongly upregulated miRNAs in response to MRTFs, as revealed by microarray and confirmed by real-time PCR. Further study revealed that (SRF) controls the expression of miR-143 and miR-145 in smooth muscle cells, and these miRNAs, in turn, feed back to control the expression and function of multiple components of the cytoskeleton and the SRF regulatory network. This study adds to a growing body of work demonstrating the roles of miRNAs in regulating changes in gene expression and cell functions in response to injury and stress and further underscores their potential as therapeutic targets.

Xin M, Small EM, Sutherland LB, Qi X, McAnally J, Plato CF, Richardson JA, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN.  (2009) MicroRNAs miR-143 and miR-145 modulate cytoskeletal dynamics and responsiveness of smooth muscle cells to injury.  Genes Dev 23(18),2166-178. [abstract]

Sep

30

Featured Customer Publication

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MicroRNA Regulation of DNA Repair Gene Expression in Hypoxic Stress

Researchers at Yale University have discovered that microRNAs play key roles in modulating the expression of genes involved in DNA damage recognition and repair.  They used a combination of microRNA microarrays (for identification of the miRs), bioinformatics (for prediction of the miR targets), and luciferase assays (for confirmation of the miR targets) to make their discoveries. (read more)