Qiang Yu, Hao-Peng Li, Xiong Guo
Department of Orthopaedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi, China.
Zhongguo Gu Shang. 2012 Jun;25(6):530-4.
MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNA molecules that regulate the gene expression at the post-transcription levels. They have been implicated in various important cellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and lipid metabolism etc. Cartilage injury and degeneration can cause various joint diseases, and the current clinical treatments are unsatisfactory. Current researches have found that miRNA play important roles in the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocyte and their synthesis and catabolism. With novel targets of MicroRNA have been found, their important roles have been further confirmed. The present review summarizes the current evidences of the synthesis and function of the miRNA, and their regulatory roles in the cartilage damage and degeneration. In summary, MicroRNA play important roles in disease pathogenesis resulted by cartilage injury and degeneration,and may have important diagnostic and therapeutic potential, further more, and might provide a novel means of treating degenerative diseases.
微小RNA是一类非编码RNA分子，可在转录后水平调节基因表达。它们参与了各种重要的细胞过程，如增殖、分化、凋亡和脂质代谢等。软骨损伤和退变可导致各种关节疾病，而目前的临床治疗并不理想。目前的研究发现，微小RNA在软骨细胞的增殖、分化及其合成和分解代谢中发挥着重要作用。随着微小RNA新靶点的发现，其重要作用得到了进一步证实。本综述总结了微小RNA合成和功能的当前证据，以及它们在软骨损伤和退变中的调节作用。总之，微小RNA在软骨损伤和退变导致的疾病发病机制中发挥重要作用，可能具有重要的诊断和治疗潜力，此外，还可能为治疗退行性疾病提供一种新方法。
