MicroRNAs as effectors of brain function with roles in ischemia and injury, neuroprotection, and neurodegeneration

MicroRNAs are small RNAs that function as regulators of posttranscriptional gene expression. MicroRNAs are encoded by genes, and processed to form ribonucleoprotein complexes that bind to messenger RNA (mRNA) targets to repress translation or degrade mRNA transcripts. The microRNAs are particularly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism 2010-09, Vol.30 (9), p.1564-1576
Main Author: Saugstad, Julie A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - physiology
Brain Diseases - pathology
Brain Diseases - prevention & control
Brain Ischemia - pathology
Brain Ischemia - prevention & control
Humans
Medical sciences
MicroRNAs - biosynthesis
MicroRNAs - physiology
Nerve Degeneration - pathology
Nerve Degeneration - prevention & control
Nervous System Diseases - pathology
Nervous System Diseases - prevention & control
Neurology
Neuronal Plasticity
Neuropharmacology
Neuroprotective agent
Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology
Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Review
RNA, Messenger - metabolism
Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system
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Summary:MicroRNAs are small RNAs that function as regulators of posttranscriptional gene expression. MicroRNAs are encoded by genes, and processed to form ribonucleoprotein complexes that bind to messenger RNA (mRNA) targets to repress translation or degrade mRNA transcripts. The microRNAs are particularly abundant in the brain where they serve as effectors of neuronal development and maintenance of the neuronal phenotype. They are also expressed in dendrites where they regulate spine structure and function as effectors in synaptic plasticity. MicroRNAs have been evaluated for their roles in brain ischemia, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury, and in functional recovery after ischemia. They also serve as mediators in the brain's response to ischemic preconditioning that leads to endogenous neuroprotection. In addition, microRNAs are implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's, Huntington, Parkinson, and Prion disease. The discovery of microRNAs has expanded the potential for human diseases to arise from genetic mutations in microRNA genes or sequences within their target mRNAs. This review discusses microRNA discovery, biogenesis, mechanisms of gene regulation, their expression and function in the brain, and their roles in brain ischemia and injury, neuroprotection, and neurodegeneration.
ISSN:0271-678X
1559-7016
DOI:10.1038/jcbfm.2010.101