LSU Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 2020 Gravier Street, Suite 904, New Orleans, LA, 70112-2272, USA.
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 70112-2272, USA.
Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2018 Jan;38(1):133-140. doi: 10.1007/s10571-017-0547-4. Epub 2017 Sep 6.
microRNAs (miRNAs) comprise a class of ~18-25 nucleotide (nt) single-stranded non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that are the smallest known carriers of gene-encoded, post-transcriptional regulatory information in both plants and animals. There are many fundamental similarities between plant and animal miRNAs-the miRNAs of both kingdoms play essential roles in development, aging and disease, and the shaping of the transcriptome of many cell types. Both plant and animal miRNAs appear to predominantly exert their genetic and transcriptomic influences by regulating gene expression at the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) stability and/or translational inhibition. Certain miRNA species, such as miRNA-155, miRNA-168, and members of the miRNA-854 family may be expressed in both plants and animals, suggesting a common origin and functional selection of specific miRNAs over vast periods of evolution (for example, Arabidopsis thaliana-Homo sapiens divergence ~1.5 billion years). Although there is emerging evidence for cross-kingdom miRNA communication-that plant-enriched miRNAs may enter the diet and play physiological and/or pathophysiological roles in human health and disease-some research reports repudiate this possibility. This research paper highlights some recent, controversial, and remarkable findings in plant- and animal-based miRNA signaling research with emphasis on the intriguing possibility that dietary miRNAs and/or sncRNAs may have potential to contribute to both intra- and inter-kingdom signaling, and in doing so modulate molecular-genetic mechanisms associated with human health and disease.
微小 RNA（miRNAs）是一类约 18-25 个核苷酸（nt）的单链非编码 RNA（sncRNA），是植物和动物中已知的最小的基因编码、转录后调控信息载体。植物和动物的 miRNAs 有许多基本的相似之处——这两个王国的 miRNAs 在发育、衰老和疾病以及许多细胞类型的转录组形成中都发挥着重要作用。植物和动物的 miRNAs 似乎主要通过调节信使 RNA（mRNA）稳定性和/或翻译抑制来发挥其遗传和转录组影响。某些 miRNA 物种，如 miRNA-155、miRNA-168 和 miRNA-854 家族的成员，可能在植物和动物中都有表达，这表明特定 miRNAs 的共同起源和功能选择跨越了漫长的进化时期（例如，拟南芥-智人分化约 15 亿年）。尽管有越来越多的证据表明跨王国的 miRNA 通讯——富含植物的 miRNA 可能进入饮食，并在人类健康和疾病中发挥生理和/或病理生理作用——但一些研究报告否定了这种可能性。本文重点介绍了基于植物和动物的 miRNA 信号研究中的一些最近的、有争议的和显著的发现，强调了一个有趣的可能性，即饮食中的 miRNAs 和/或 sncRNA 可能有潜力为种内和种间信号传递做出贡献，并在此过程中调节与人类健康和疾病相关的分子遗传机制。
