MiR-17-92 cluster is a novel regulatory gene of cardiac ischemic/reperfusion injury.

The miR-17-92 cluster is an important microRNA cluster in the animals. It was mainly investigated as an oncogene in tumors but never studied in cardiovascular disease. On one aspect, miR-17-92 cluster is documented to play anti-apoptotic roles in tumor cells, including hypoxia-induced apoptosis. The families of miR-17, miR-19, and miR-92 promote resistance to apoptosis by directly inhibiting pro-apoptotic protein, and by the two major cell survival signaling pathways-PI3K/AKT, and MAPK/ERK. On the other aspect, the component members of miR-17-92 cluster are high expressed in the hearts of canine and mice, suggesting that there are effect targets of the cluster in the myocardium. So that, we hypothesized that the miR-17-92 cluster may protect the heart by diminishing the apoptosis and alleviating ischemia/reperfusion injury. This may be a new regulating target for patients with myocardial infarction and undergoing cardiac surgery.