Yu Xin, Li Zheng
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.
Int J Mol Med. 2014 Oct;34(4):923-33. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2014.1853. Epub 2014 Jul 15.
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are involved in all stages of the progression of human atherosclerosis (AS). MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are non‑coding, small RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post‑transcriptional level through translational repression or messenger RNA (mRNA) decay. Recently, a variety of functions of VSMCs that are involved in AS, including differentiation, migration, proliferation, extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and apoptosis, have been found to be regulated by miRNAs. This review provides an overview of the role of miRNAs in the regulation of the functions of VSMCs, as well as their targets and potential implications in AS. The data presented herein suggest that the specific modulation of miRNAs may present an attractive approach for the diagnosis and treatment of AS.
血管平滑肌细胞（VSMCs）参与人类动脉粥样硬化（AS）进展的各个阶段。微小RNA（miRNAs或miRs）是一类非编码小RNA，通过翻译抑制或信使核糖核酸（mRNA）降解在转录后水平调控基因表达。最近发现，参与AS的VSMCs的多种功能，包括分化、迁移、增殖、细胞外基质（ECM）合成和凋亡，均受miRNAs调控。本综述概述了miRNAs在调控VSMCs功能中的作用及其靶点，以及在AS中的潜在意义。本文提供的数据表明，对miRNAs的特异性调控可能为AS的诊断和治疗提供一种有吸引力的方法。
