Mirnas as Biomarkers of Neurodegenerative Disorders

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are the result of progressive deterioration of neurons, ultimately leading to disabilities. There is no effective cure for NDDs at present; ongoing therapies are mainly aimed at treating the most bothersome symptoms. Since early treatment is crucial in NDDs, there is an urgent need for specific and sensitive biomarkers that can aid in early diagnosis of these disorders. Recently, altered expression of miRNAs has been implicated in several neurological disorders, including NDDs. miRNA expression has been extensively investigated in the cells, tissues and body fluids of patients with different types of NDDs. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of miRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for NDDs.

Modified level of miR‐376a is associated with Parkinson's disease

“…Therefore, we aimed here to determine miR‐376a alteration in PBMCs from patients with PD compared to healthy subject and found profound increase in miR‐376a expression in PD PBMC samples relative to healthy controls. Up‐regulated level of miR‐376a was also detected in T cells of MS patients . miR‐376a has been identified to be down‐regulated in the brains of late‐onset form of Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) .…”

“…miRNAs, a class of non‐coding RNAs, are roughly 22 bases in length and take part in a wide variety of biological and pathological processes in health and disease . They tend to repress genes’ expression level through binding to specific sequences mostly located in the 3'‐untranslated region (3'UTR) of mRNAs, culminating in mRNA degradation or deadenylation and translation inhibition .…”

“…Mounting evidence has emerged showing the association between miRNA network and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders including PD . Furthermore, altered level of several miRNAs has been reported in disparate PD models and human brains of patients suffering from PD . While there is substantial literature confirming miRNAs’ implication in PD development, only a few studies have attempted to identify deregulated miRNAs …”

“…12 miRNAs, a class of non-coding RNAs, are roughly 22 bases in length and take part in a wide variety of biological and pathological processes in health and disease. 5,13 They tend to repress genes' expression level through binding to specific sequences mostly located in the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of mRNAs, culminating in mRNA degradation or deadenylation and translation inhibition. 5,14 miRNAs have an enormous modulatory potential considering that each single miRNA can govern expression of hundreds of different transcripts and that's why whole phenotype of a disease can be feasibly affected by regulating a single miRNA molecule.…”

Welcome to the 10th volume of Epigenomics

“…Dysregulation of miRNA in the pathophysiology of polyQ disorders miRNA dysregulation is emerging as a critical factor contributing to neurodegeneration [105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112]. Major alterations in brain mRNA levels have been observed in various neurodegenerative disorders, and as mentioned above, altered neuronal transcriptional activity is a persistent feature of most polyQ disorders.…”