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MicroRNA and Non-coding RNA: From Basic Research to Potential Clinical Application

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 2263

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Out of the central dogma of molecular biology, messenger RNA (mRNA) is translated into protein. The transcriptome biochemical machinery relies on noncoding RNA (ncRNAs), which, unlike mRNA, is not translated into protein. Such ncRNAs comprise over 80% of the transcriptome by mass and are linked to a growing list of functional roles in human physiology, biology, biochemistry, and disease. RNA modulation has become a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of several types of disease. The emerging field of noncoding RNA-based biomarkers and/or therapies has now come to the attention of several fields of application, in which it could provide valuable advancements compared to current clinical biochemistry and pharmacological treatment, such as small-molecule drugs or antibodies. Microarray technology and the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) have significantly broadened our understanding of ncRNAs in recent decades and introduced new opportunities for clinical applications.

The Special Issue is guest edited by Prof. Dr. Erika Cione, with the assistance of Dr. Diana Marisol Abrego Guandique (University of Magna Graecia-Catanzaro). We would like to gather the recent advances in this field, and we are delighted to invite you to contribute.

Prof. Dr. Erika Cione
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • miRNA
  • ncRNA
  • biomarkers
  • therapeutics
  • microarray
  • NGS

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2345 KiB  
Article
The Protective Role of miR-130b-3p Against Palmitate-Induced Lipotoxicity in Cardiomyocytes Through PPARγ Pathway
by Elena Alonso-Villa, Alipio Mangas, Fernando Bonet, Óscar Campuzano, Maribel Quezada-Feijoo, Mónica Ramos, Carlos García-Padilla, Diego Franco and Rocio Toro
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12161; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212161 - 13 Nov 2024
Viewed by 348
Abstract
Excess lipid accumulation in the heart is associated with lipotoxicity and cardiac dysfunction due to excessive fatty acid oxidation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) modulates the expression of key molecules involved in the FA metabolic pathway. Cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of PPARγ causes dilated cardiomyopathy [...] Read more.
Excess lipid accumulation in the heart is associated with lipotoxicity and cardiac dysfunction due to excessive fatty acid oxidation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) modulates the expression of key molecules involved in the FA metabolic pathway. Cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of PPARγ causes dilated cardiomyopathy associated with lipotoxicity in mice. miR-130b-3p has been shown to be downregulated in the plasma of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy patients, but its role in modulating cardiomyocyte lipotoxicity via PPARγ remains unclear. Our objective was to investigate the protective role of miR-130b-3p against palmitate-induced lipotoxicity in cardiomyocytes through the modulation of the PPARγ signaling pathway. Human cardiomyoblasts were treated with palmitate. Intracellular lipid accumulation and expression of PPARγ and its downstream targets (CD36, FABP3, CAV1, VLDLR) were analyzed. Mitochondrial oxidative stress was assessed via MitoTracker Green and Redox Sensor Red staining and expression of CPT1B and SOD2. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis were determined by examining GRP78, ATF6, XBP1s, CHOP, and caspase-3 expression. miR-130b-3p overexpression was achieved using transfection methods, and its effect on these parameters was evaluated. Luciferase assays were used to confirm PPARγ as a direct target of miR-130b-3p. Palmitate treatment led to increased lipid accumulation and upregulation of PPARγ and its downstream targets in human cardiomyoblasts. Palmitate also increased mitochondrial oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis. miR-130b-3p overexpression reduced PPARγ expression and its downstream signaling, alleviated mitochondrial oxidative stress and decreased endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in palmitate-stimulated cardiomyoblasts. Luciferase assays confirmed PPARγ as a direct target of miR-130b-3p. Our findings suggest that miR-130b-3p plays a protective role against palmitate-induced lipotoxicity in cardiomyocytes by modulating the PPARγ signaling pathway. Full article
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25 pages, 2287 KiB  
Article
Long Non-Coding RNAs and Alzheimer’s Disease: Towards Personalized Diagnosis
by Maria I. Mosquera-Heredia, Oscar M. Vidal, Luis C. Morales, Carlos Silvera-Redondo, Ernesto Barceló, Ricardo Allegri, Mauricio Arcos-Burgos, Jorge I. Vélez and Pilar Garavito-Galofre
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(14), 7641; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25147641 - 11 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1623
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline, is the most common form of dementia. Currently, there is no single test that can diagnose AD, especially in understudied populations and developing countries. Instead, diagnosis is based on a combination of [...] Read more.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline, is the most common form of dementia. Currently, there is no single test that can diagnose AD, especially in understudied populations and developing countries. Instead, diagnosis is based on a combination of medical history, physical examination, cognitive testing, and brain imaging. Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles, primarily composed of RNA, that participate in physiological processes related to AD pathogenesis such as cell proliferation, immune response, and neuronal and cardiovascular function. However, the identification and understanding of the potential role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in AD diagnosis remain largely unexplored. Here, we clinically, cognitively, and genetically characterized a sample of 15 individuals diagnosed with AD (cases) and 15 controls from Barranquilla, Colombia. Advanced bioinformatics, analytics and Machine Learning (ML) techniques were used to identify lncRNAs differentially expressed between cases and controls. The expression of 28,909 lncRNAs was quantified. Of these, 18 were found to be differentially expressed and harbored in pivotal genes related to AD. Two lncRNAs, ENST00000608936 and ENST00000433747, show promise as diagnostic markers for AD, with ML models achieving > 95% sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in both the training and testing datasets. These findings suggest that the expression profiles of lncRNAs could significantly contribute to advancing personalized AD diagnosis in this community, offering promising avenues for early detection and follow-up. Full article
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