MicroRNAs: roles in cardiovascular development and disease

• Published in: Cardiovascular pathology 2021-01, Vol.50, p.107296-107296, Article 107296
• Main Authors: Kalayinia, Samira, Arjmand, Fateme, Maleki, Majid, Malakootian, Mahshid, Singh, Chandra Pal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarker; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - genetics; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Cardiovascular Diseases - therapy; Cardiovascular System - growth & development; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Genetic Markers; Genetic Therapy; Humans; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs - genetics; MicroRNAs - therapeutic use; Morphogenesis; Pathogenesis; Therapeutics
• ISSN: 1054-8807; 1879-1336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2020.107296

•A strong evidence illustrates that heart pathological processes are mostly resulted from genetic components and alterations in their expressions’ profiles, as momentous for heart function.•MicroRNAs, as dynamic switches, are not only capable to regulate the gene expression, but they can also fine-tune the biological processes involved in genetic basis, occurrence, diagnosis, and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases.•The knowledge on that microRNA expression is frequently dysregulated in cardiovascular diseases, has uncovered an entirely new repertoire of molecular factors’ upstream of gene expression, with an exciting potential as a novel biomarker as well as a therapeutic target. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) comprise a group of disorders ranging from peripheral artery, coronary artery, cardiac valve, cardiac muscle, and congenital heart diseases to arrhythmias and ultimately, heart failure. For all the advances in therapeutics, CVDs are still the leading cause of mortality the world over, hence the significance of a thorough understanding of CVDs at the molecular level. Disparities in the expressions of genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the determination of the fate of cellular pathways, which ultimately affect an organism's physiology. Indeed, miRNAs serve as the regulators of gene expressions in that they perform key functions both in several important cellular pathways and in the regulation of the onset of various diseases such as CVDs. Many miRNAs are expressed in embryonic, postnatal, and adult hearts; their aberrant expression or genetic deletion is associated with abnormal cardiac cell differentiation, disruption in heart development, and cardiac dysfunction. A substantial body of evidence implicates miRNAs in CVD development and suggests them as diagnostic biomarkers and intriguing therapeutic tools. The present review provides an overview of the history, biogenesis, and processing of miRNAs, as well as their function in the development, remodeling, and diseases of the heart.