Nothnick Warren B
Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.
Semin Reprod Med. 2017 Mar;35(2):173-180. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1599089. Epub 2017 Feb 17.
Endometriosis is a disease common in women of reproductive age, characterized by pelvic pain and infertility. Despite its prevalence, the factors and mechanisms which contribute to the development and survival of ectopic lesions remain uncertain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that regulate posttranscriptional gene regulation which have been proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of many diseases including that of endometriosis. This review summarizes the results of initial studies describing differentially expressed miRNAs between endometriotic lesion tissue and eutopic endometrium. Focus then moves toward discussion of studies on examining function of differentially expressed miRNAs to determine if they play a permissive role (driver of the disease) in events conducive to endometriosis progression/survival. Included in this discussion are the potential targets of these miRNAs and how their mis-expression may contribute to the disease. Limitations and challenges faced in studying miRNAs and endometriosis pathogenesis and recommendations to overcome these hurdles are presented at the end.
子宫内膜异位症是育龄期女性的常见疾病，其特征为盆腔疼痛和不孕。尽管该病较为普遍，但导致异位病灶发展和存活的因素及机制仍不明确。微小RNA（miRNA）是一类小RNA分子，可调节转录后基因调控，有人提出其在包括子宫内膜异位症在内的多种疾病发病机制中发挥作用。本综述总结了最初一些研究的结果，这些研究描述了子宫内膜异位症病灶组织与在位内膜中差异表达的miRNA。接着重点讨论了关于检测差异表达miRNA功能的研究，以确定它们是否在有利于子宫内膜异位症进展/存活的事件中起促成作用（疾病驱动因素）。该讨论内容包括这些miRNA的潜在靶点以及它们的表达异常可能如何导致疾病。最后介绍了研究miRNA与子宫内膜异位症发病机制时面临的局限和挑战，以及克服这些障碍的建议。
