Podshivalova Katie, Salomon Daniel R
Laboratory for Functional Genomics, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA.
Crit Rev Immunol. 2013;33(5):435-76. doi: 10.1615/critrevimmunol.2013006858.
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that constitute an essential and evolutionarily conserved mechanism for post-transcriptional gene regulation. Multiple miRNAs have been described to play key roles in T-lymphocyte development, differentiation, and function. In this review, we highlight the current literature regarding the differential expression of miRNAs in various models of murine and human T-cell biology. We emphasize mechanistic understandings of miRNA regulation of thymocyte development, T-cell activation, and differentiation into effector and memory subsets. We describe the participation of miRNAs in complex regulatory circuits shaping T-cell proteomes in a context-dependent manner. It is striking that some miRNAs regulate multiple processes, while others only appear in limited functional contexts. It is also evident that the expression and function of specific miRNAs can differ between murine and human systems. Ultimately, it is not always correct to simplify the complex events of T-cell biology into a model driven by only one or two master regulator miRNAs. In reality, T-cell activation and differentiation involve the expression of multiple miRNAs with many mRNA targets; thus, the true extent of miRNA regulation of T-cell biology is likely far more vast than currently appreciated.
微小RNA（miRNA）是一类小的非编码RNA，它们构成了转录后基因调控的一种重要且在进化上保守的机制。多种miRNA已被描述在T淋巴细胞的发育、分化和功能中发挥关键作用。在本综述中，我们重点介绍了关于miRNA在小鼠和人类T细胞生物学各种模型中差异表达的当前文献。我们强调对miRNA调控胸腺细胞发育、T细胞活化以及分化为效应细胞和记忆亚群的机制理解。我们描述了miRNA以依赖于上下文的方式参与塑造T细胞蛋白质组的复杂调控回路。值得注意的是，一些miRNA调控多个过程，而另一些仅出现在有限的功能背景中。同样明显的是，特定miRNA的表达和功能在小鼠和人类系统之间可能有所不同。最终，将T细胞生物学的复杂事件简化为由一两个主要调控miRNA驱动的模型并不总是正确的。实际上，T细胞活化和分化涉及多个具有许多mRNA靶标的miRNA的表达；因此，miRNA对T细胞生物学的调控的真实范围可能比目前所认识的要广泛得多。
