Garza-Manero Sylvia, Pichardo-Casas Israel, Arias Clorinda, Vaca Luis, Zepeda Angélica
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 04510, México, DF, Mexico.
Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 04510 México, DF, Mexico.
Brain Res. 2014 Oct 10;1584:80-93. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.12.009. Epub 2013 Dec 16.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that control a wide range of functions in the cell. They act as post-transcriptional gene regulators throughout in development and in adulthood, although recent evidence suggests their potential role in the onset and development of various diseases and neuropathologies. In neurons miRNAs seem to play a key role as regulators of synaptic function. Synapses are vulnerable structures in neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, synaptic loss has been described as an early event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). MicroRNA-mediated gene silencing represents a candidate event for the repression of specific mRNAs and protein synthesis that could account for synaptic dysfunction. In this work, we review the participation of miRNAs in synaptic function and consider their possible role in synaptic alterations in AD. First we review the biogenesis of miRNAs and their role as post-transcriptional regulators. Then we discuss recently published data on the distribution of miRNAs in the brain as well as their role in dynamic regulation at the synapse. In the second part, we briefly introduce the reader to AD, focusing on synaptic alterations in the progression of the pathology. Then we discuss possible implications of miRNAs in the associated synaptic dysfunction.
微小RNA（miRNA）是一类小型非编码RNA，可调控细胞中的多种功能。在整个发育过程及成年期，它们作为转录后基因调节因子发挥作用，尽管最近有证据表明它们在各种疾病和神经病理学的发生发展中具有潜在作用。在神经元中，miRNA似乎作为突触功能的调节因子发挥关键作用。突触是神经退行性疾病中的脆弱结构。特别是，突触丧失被描述为阿尔茨海默病（AD）发病机制中的早期事件。微小RNA介导的基因沉默代表了一种可能导致特定mRNA和蛋白质合成受抑制的事件，而这可能导致突触功能障碍。在这项工作中，我们综述了miRNA在突触功能中的作用，并探讨它们在AD突触改变中可能发挥的作用。首先，我们回顾了miRNA的生物发生及其作为转录后调节因子的作用。然后，我们讨论了最近发表的关于miRNA在大脑中的分布及其在突触动态调节中的作用的数据。在第二部分，我们简要向读者介绍AD，重点关注病理进展过程中的突触改变。然后，我们讨论miRNA在相关突触功能障碍中的可能影响。
