miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

miRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate their target mRNAs, mostly by binding to their 3′UTRs. First discovered in C. elegans, miRs have been identified and studied in plants, animals and even in viruses. As the research on miRs has grown over the past decade, new information about their involvement in multiple physiological cell functions is beginning to be elucidated. As a matter of fact, their dysregulation can lead to serious pathologies such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental disorders and viral infection. There is a great demand to understand the principles of context-specific miRNA target recognition in order to elucidate their role in the development and pathophysiology of diseases, as well as to improve miR detection methods and design future therapeutic strategies. We are pleased to invite you to the MDPI Topic collections “miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease”. MDPI Topics are collections of articles that concentrate on specific cutting-edge, interdisciplinary themes published in different MDPI journals. The aim of the current topic is to allow authors from different research areas (such as cancer, immunology, neurology, metabolism, engineering and biophysics) to focus on the role of miRs in diseases, describe the multi-disciplinary applications of their research and develop new ideas. For this collection, papers should be submitted in one of the following journals: Cancers, Biology, Current Oncology, Diseases or Onco. In this Topic, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: cancer progression, inflammatory and infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, miRNA-based biomarkers and therapies, new technologies for miRNA detection and new target prediction tools. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Francesca Orso
Dr. Roberto Coppo
Dr. Federico Virga
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Biology biology	4.2	4.0	2012	18.7 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Cancers cancers	5.2	7.4	2009	17.9 Days	CHF 2900	Submit
Current Oncology curroncol	2.6	2.6	1994	18 Days	CHF 2200	Submit
Diseases diseases	3.7	-	2013	18.8 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Onco onco	-	-	2021	18.3 Days	CHF 1000	Submit

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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19 pages, 382 KiB  

Open AccessReview

MicroRNAs in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

by Simone Pelassa, Federica Raggi, Chiara Rossi and Maria Carla Bosco

Biology 2023, 12(7), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12070991 - 12 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1047

Abstract

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) represents the most common chronic pediatric arthritis in Western countries and a leading cause of disability in children. Despite recent clinical achievements, patient management is still hindered by a lack of diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and targeted treatment protocols. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) [...] Read more.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) represents the most common chronic pediatric arthritis in Western countries and a leading cause of disability in children. Despite recent clinical achievements, patient management is still hindered by a lack of diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and targeted treatment protocols. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs playing a key role in gene regulation, and their involvement in many pathologies has been widely reported in the literature. In recent decades, miRNA’s contribution to the regulation of the immune system and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases has been demonstrated. Furthermore, miRNAs isolated from patients’ biological samples are currently under investigation for their potential as novel biomarkers. This review aims to provide an overview of the state of the art on miRNA investigation in JIA. The literature addressing the expression of miRNAs in different types of biological samples isolated from JIA patients was reviewed, focusing in particular on their potential application as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers. The role of miRNAs in the regulation of immune responses in affected joints will also be discussed along with their potential utility as markers of patients’ responses to therapeutic approaches. This information will be of value to investigators in the field of pediatric rheumatology, encouraging further research to increase our knowledge of miRNAs’ potential for future clinical applications in JIA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease)

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21 pages, 2697 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

MicroRNA-483-5p Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation, Cell Steatosis, and Fibrosis by Targeting PPARα and TIMP2

by Suryakant Niture, Sashi Gadi, Qi Qi, Maxwell Afari Gyamfi, Rency S. Varghese, Leslimar Rios-Colon, Uchechukwu Chimeh, Vandana, Habtom W. Ressom and Deepak Kumar

Cancers 2023, 15(6), 1715; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15061715 - 10 Mar 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1984

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that bind with the 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of genes to regulate expression. Downregulation of miR-483-5p (miR-483) is associated with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the significant roles of miR-483 in nonalcoholic fatty liver [...] Read more.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that bind with the 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of genes to regulate expression. Downregulation of miR-483-5p (miR-483) is associated with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the significant roles of miR-483 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcoholic fatty liver diseases (AFLD), and HCC remain elusive. In the current study, we investigated the biological significance of miR-483 in NAFLD, AFLD, and HCC in vitro and in vivo. The downregulation of miR-483 expression in HCC patients’ tumor samples was associated with Notch 3 upregulation. Overexpression of miR-483 in a human bipotent progenitor liver cell line HepaRG and HCC cells dysregulated Notch signaling, inhibited cell proliferation/migration, induced apoptosis, and increased sensitivity towards antineoplastic agents sorafenib/regorafenib. Interestingly, the inactivation of miR-483 upregulated cell steatosis and fibrosis signaling by modulation of lipogenic and fibrosis gene expression. Mechanistically, miR-483 targets PPARα and TIMP2 gene expression, which leads to the suppression of cell steatosis and fibrosis. The downregulation of miR-483 was observed in mice liver fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) or a standard Lieber-Decarli liquid diet containing 5% alcohol, leading to increased hepatic steatosis/fibrosis. Our data suggest that miR-483 inhibits cell steatosis and fibrogenic signaling and functions as a tumor suppressor in HCC. Therefore, miR-483 may be a novel therapeutic target for NAFLD/AFLD/HCC management in patients with fatty liver diseases and HCC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease)

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18 pages, 835 KiB  

Open AccessReview

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Look towards Micro-RNAs as Biomarkers of the Future

by Giorgia Moriondo, Piera Soccio, Pasquale Tondo, Giulia Scioscia, Roberto Sabato, Maria Pia Foschino Barbaro and Donato Lacedonia

Biology 2023, 12(1), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010066 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1664

Abstract

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) includes a broad spectrum of diseases, of which obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is the most clinically significant manifestation. OSA is a respiratory disorder characterized by episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airways that disturb ventilation and [...] Read more.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) includes a broad spectrum of diseases, of which obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is the most clinically significant manifestation. OSA is a respiratory disorder characterized by episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airways that disturb ventilation and sleep architecture. In recent years, interest in the clinical implications of OSA seems to have increased, probably due to the numerous studies that have shown the existence of an important correlation between OSA and cardiovascular, dysmetabolic, and neoplastic changes. The guidelines currently available highlight the importance of diagnosis and effective treatment for OSA, underlining the need for new biomarkers that are useful in clinical practice, feasible, and reproducible to guide medical decision making. In this review, we intend to provide an overview of the potential role of microRNAs as new indicators for OSA management. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that play an important role in RNA silencing and regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. These can bind specifically to their target genes by forming silencing complexes, thus inducing degradation or altered gene expression. A wide range of miRNAs have been extensively studied in a variety of diseases including cancer, and recently, miRNAs have been shown to have enormous potential to function as diagnostic and clinical biomarkers of disease. This review includes recent studies that establish the inevitable role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of OSA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease)

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16 pages, 5516 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of miRNA Expression in Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cells: A Comparison between Normoxia and Hypoxia Microenvironment

by Lucy Wanjiku Macharia, Wanjiru Muriithi, Dennis Kirii Nyaga, Juliana de Mattos Coelho-Aguiar, Tania Cristina Leite de Sampaio e Spohr and Vivaldo Moura-Neto

Onco 2022, 2(2), 113-128; https://doi.org/10.3390/onco2020008 - 26 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2091

Abstract

Purpose: Glioblastoma is an aggressive and incurable brain tumor whose progression is driven in part by glioblastoma stem cells, which are also responsible for the tumor’s low therapy efficacy. The maintenance and expansion of the stem cell population is promoted by the hypoxic [...] Read more.

Purpose: Glioblastoma is an aggressive and incurable brain tumor whose progression is driven in part by glioblastoma stem cells, which are also responsible for the tumor’s low therapy efficacy. The maintenance and expansion of the stem cell population is promoted by the hypoxic microenvironment, where miRNAs play fundamental roles in their survival. Methods: GBM stem-like cells were isolated from three GBM parental cell lines. The stem-like cells were then cultured under normoxic and hypoxic microenvironments followed by investigation of the in vitro “stemness” of the cells. Results: We found miR-128a-3p, 34-5p and 181a-3p to be downregulated and miR-17-5p and miR-221-3p to be upregulated in our stem-like cells compared to the GBMs. When a comparison was made between normoxia and hypoxia, a further fold downregulation was observed for miR-34-5p, miR-128a-3p and miR-181a-3p and a further upregulation was observed for miR-221-3p and 17-5p. There was an increased expression of HIF-1/2, SOX2, OCT4, VEGF, GLUT-1, BCL2 and survivin under hypoxia. Conclusion: Our data suggest that our GBMs were able to grow as stem-like cells and as spheroids. There was a differential expression of miRNAs between the stems and the GBMs and the hypoxia microenvironment influenced further dysregulation of the miRNAs and some selected genes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease)

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14 pages, 1828 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of MicroRNAs Associated with Tumor Purity by Random Forest Regression

by Dong-Yeon Nam and Je-Keun Rhee

Biology 2022, 11(5), 787; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050787 - 21 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2138

Abstract

Tumor purity refers to the proportion of tumor cells in tumor tissue samples. This value plays an important role in understanding the mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment. Although various attempts have been made to predict tumor purity, attempts to predict tumor purity using [...] Read more.

Tumor purity refers to the proportion of tumor cells in tumor tissue samples. This value plays an important role in understanding the mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment. Although various attempts have been made to predict tumor purity, attempts to predict tumor purity using miRNAs are still lacking. We predicted tumor purity using miRNA expression data for 16 TCGA tumor types using random forest regression. In addition, we identified miRNAs with high feature-importance scores and examined the extent of the change in predictive performance using informative miRNAs. The predictive performance obtained using only 10 miRNAs with high feature importance was close to the result obtained using all miRNAs. Furthermore, we also found genes targeted by miRNAs and confirmed that these genes were mainly related to immune and cancer pathways. Therefore, we found that the miRNA expression data could predict tumor purity well, and the results suggested the possibility that 10 miRNAs with high feature importance could be used as potential markers to predict tumor purity and to help improve our understanding of the tumor microenvironment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic miRNAs in Pathophysiology of Disease)

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