Circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of kidney disease

Abstract

Interest in microRNAs (miRNAs) has dramatically increased in recent years not only because they regulate mRNA expression, and thus many physiological or pathophysiological processes, but also because they could serve as biomarkers. Next to analysis of tissue miRNA expression, measurement in body fluids such as blood or urine is attractive because miRNA in microvesicles or bound to protein is very stable. Currently it is unclear whether these circulating miRNAs are tissue and disease specific or represent more general pathologies like inflammation. In addition pre-analytical sample handling and variable analysis techniques affect the results and thus much more work needs to be done before one can draw a final conclusion about their clinical utility.

MicroRNA‐7‐5p induces cell growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by targeting PAK2 in non‐small cell lung cancer

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous, small (18–24 nucleotides), noncoding RNA species that regulate gene expression through recognizing and directly binding to a complementary site(s) in the 3′‐UTR of a target mRNA . Recently, more than 3000 miRNAs are annotated in the human genome and one miRNA can regulate hundreds (or thousands) of different mRNAs . A bunch of miRNAs has been shown to play an important role in various biological processes, including differentiation, apoptosis, and modulation of cell cycle .…”

Circulating miRNA-21 as a diagnostic biomarker in elderly patients with type 2 cardiorenal syndrome

“…Many studies to date suggest that circulating miRNAs can be applied as biomarkers for disease diagnosis/ prognosis, as well as therapeutic targets for certain diseases 12,13,39 . miRNAs are endogenous noncoding small RNAs with regulatory functions that recognize target RNAs by complementary base-pairing and guide silencing complexes to degrade the target mRNA or repress its translation.…”

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNAs of 21-24 nucleotides that control gene expression post-transcriptionally by inducing target miRNA destabilization or inhibiting protein translation. miRNAs play important roles in several diseases, such as heart failure, hypertension and kidney disease [9][10][11][12] , and many miRNAs have been identified as ideal candidate biomarkers due to their stable expression 12,13 . miR-21, which is encoded on chromosome 17q23.2, plays a regulatory role in several diseases, including cancer 14,15 , cardio-fibrosis 16,17 and kidney disease 18,19 , and combining miR-21 with hs-TnT was demonstrated to significantly increase the diagnostic value in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients 20 .…”

Epigenetics of IgA Nephropathy: A Brief Review

“…Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are small, single-stranded RNA molecules that bind to the 3'untranslated region (3'-UTR) of their target mRNAs, thus negatively regulating their protein production [34,35]. Over the past few years, there has been great progress in the research regarding miRNAs in the nephrology field, as they could possibly serve as non-invasive biomarkers for various kidney diseases [36,37]. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether divergence in their expression is tissue-and disease-specific or represents more general pathologies like inflammation.…”

“…Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether divergence in their expression is tissue-and disease-specific or represents more general pathologies like inflammation. Their potential contribution in clinical practice needs to be further clarified [37].…”