Center for Human Genetics. K.U. Leuven. Herestraat 49 Bus 602 B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2010 Sep;21(7):768-73. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2010.01.009. Epub 2010 Jan 18.
The complexity of the nervous system arises in part, from the large diversity of neural cell types that support the architecture of neuronal circuits. Recent studies have highlighted microRNAs as important players in regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and therefore the phenotype of neural cells. A link between microRNAs and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease is becoming increasingly evident. Here, we discuss microRNAs in neurodegeneration, from the fruit fly and mouse utilized as experimental models to dysregulated microRNAs in human neurodegenerative disorders. We propose that studying microRNAs and their mRNA targets in the context of neurodegeneration will significantly contribute to the identification of proteins important for neuronal function and might reveal underlying molecular networks that drive these diseases.
神经系统的复杂性部分源于支持神经元回路结构的大量不同类型的神经细胞。最近的研究强调了 microRNAs 在调节基因表达的转录后水平以及因此调节神经细胞表型方面的重要作用。microRNAs 与神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病、亨廷顿病和帕金森病）之间的联系越来越明显。在这里，我们讨论了神经退行性变中的 microRNAs，从用作实验模型的果蝇和小鼠到人类神经退行性疾病中失调的 microRNAs。我们提出，在神经退行性变的背景下研究 microRNAs 及其 mRNA 靶标将极大地有助于确定对神经元功能重要的蛋白质，并可能揭示驱动这些疾病的潜在分子网络。
