Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Sci China Life Sci. 2011 Dec;54(12):1103-12. doi: 10.1007/s11427-011-4249-8. Epub 2012 Jan 7.
MicroRNAs play important roles in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by inhibiting protein translation and/or promoting mRNA degradation. Importantly, biogenesis of microRNAs displays specific temporal and spatial profiles in distinct cell and tissue types and hence affects a broad spectrum of biological functions in normal cell growth and tumor development. Recent discoveries have revealed sophisticated mechanisms that control microRNA production and homeostasis in response to developmental and extracellular signals. Moreover, a link between dysregulation of microRNAs and human brain disorders has become increasingly evident. In this review, we focus on recent advances in understanding the regulation of microRNA biogenesis and function in neuronal and glial development in the mammalian brain, and dysregulation of the microRNA pathway in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
MicroRNAs 在通过抑制蛋白质翻译和/或促进 mRNA 降解来调节基因表达的转录后水平中发挥重要作用。重要的是，microRNAs 的生物发生在不同的细胞和组织类型中呈现出特定的时空特征，因此会影响正常细胞生长和肿瘤发展过程中的广泛生物学功能。最近的发现揭示了控制 microRNA 产生和动态平衡的复杂机制，这些机制可响应发育和细胞外信号做出反应。此外，microRNA 失调与人类大脑疾病之间的联系也越来越明显。在这篇综述中，我们重点关注理解哺乳动物大脑中神经元和神经胶质发育过程中 microRNA 生物发生和功能的调控以及 microRNA 通路在神经发育和神经退行性疾病中的失调方面的最新进展。
