Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Mutat Res. 2011 Sep 1;714(1-2):105-12. doi: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2011.05.004. Epub 2011 May 14.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short single-stranded non-coding molecules that function as negative regulators to silence or suppress gene expression. Aberrant miRNA expression has been implicated in a several cellular processes and pathogenic pathways of a number of diseases. Evidence is rapidly growing that miRNA regulation of gene expression may be affected by environmental chemicals. These environmental exposures include those that have frequently been associated with chronic diseases, such as heavy metals, air pollution, bisphenol A, and cigarette smoking. In this article, we review the published data on miRNAs in relation to the exposure to several environmental chemicals, and discuss the potential mechanisms that may link environmental chemicals to miRNA alterations. We further discuss the challenges in environmental-miRNA research and possible future directions. The accumulating evidence linking miRNAs to environmental chemicals, coupled with the unique regulatory role of miRNAs in gene expression, makes miRNAs potential biomarkers for better understanding the mechanisms of environmental diseases.
微小 RNA（miRNA）是短的单链非编码分子，作为负调控因子来沉默或抑制基因表达。异常的 miRNA 表达与多种疾病的多个细胞过程和致病途径有关。有证据表明，miRNA 对基因表达的调控可能会受到环境化学物质的影响。这些环境暴露包括那些经常与慢性疾病相关的暴露，如重金属、空气污染、双酚 A 和吸烟。在本文中，我们综述了 miRNA 与几种环境化学物质暴露相关的已发表数据，并讨论了可能将环境化学物质与 miRNA 改变联系起来的潜在机制。我们进一步讨论了环境-miRNA 研究中的挑战和可能的未来方向。将 miRNA 与环境化学物质联系起来的累积证据，加上 miRNA 在基因表达中的独特调控作用，使得 miRNA 成为更好地理解环境疾病机制的潜在生物标志物。
