Ionizing radiation (IR) is a form of high energy. It poses a serious threat to organisms, but radiotherapy is a key therapeutic strategy for various cancers. It is significant to reduce radiation injury but maximize the effect of radiotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are posttranscriptionally regulatory factors involved in cellular radioresponse. In this review, we show how miRNAs regulate important genes on cellular response to IR-induced damage and how miRNAs participate in IR-induced carcinogenesis. Additionally, we summarize the experimental and clinical evidence for miRNA involvement in radiotherapy and discuss their potential for improvement of radiotherapy. Finally, we highlight the role that miRNAs play in accident exposure to IR or radiotherapy as predictive biomarker. miRNA therapeutics have shown great perspective in radiobiology; miRNA may become a novel strategy for damage and protection against IR.

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Protection against low-dose ionizing radiation is of great significance. Uranium tailings are formed as a byproduct of uranium mining and a potential risk to organisms. In this study, we identified potential biomarkers associated with exposure to low-dose radiation from uranium tailings. We established a Wistar rat model of low dose rate irradiation by intratracheal instillation of a uranium tailing suspension. We observed pathological changes in the liver, lung, and kidney tissues of the rats. Using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification, we screened 17 common differentially expressed proteins in three dose groups. We chose alpha-1 antiproteinase (Serpina1), keratin 17 (Krt17), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (Aldh3a1) for further investigation. Our data showed that expression of Serpina1, Krt17, and Aldh3a1 had changed after the intratracheal instillation in rats, which may be potential biomarkers for uranium tailing low-dose irradiation. However, the underlying mechanisms require further investigation.