Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Cancer Lett. 2019 Jun 28;452:59-65. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.03.021. Epub 2019 Mar 22.
Since the discovery of the existence of microRNAs (miRNAs) in body fluids, the fascinating hypothesis that extracellular miRNAs may play a role in cell-to-cell signalling started to make its own way. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge that supports the role of miRNAs in the regulation of the immune response by an unconventional mechanism based on the activation of intracellular innate immune sensors of nucleic acids, namely the Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Such a mechanism of action has been now described to amplify and influence the pathogenesis of several inflammation-dependent pathological conditions, including cancer growth and metastasis, neurodegeneration, autoimmunity and cardiovascular diseases. The available data suggest that we have only begun to touch upon a complex system that is likely to involve many receptors and molecules. These findings may help to understand the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases and provide the basis for the identification of new potential therapeutic targets.
自发现体液中存在 microRNAs（miRNAs）以来，细胞外 miRNAs 可能在细胞间信号传递中发挥作用的这一引人入胜的假说开始自成一派。在这篇综述中，我们总结了目前的知识，这些知识支持 miRNAs 通过一种基于激活核酸内体先天免疫传感器（即 Toll 样受体（TLRs））的非传统机制，在调节免疫反应中的作用。这种作用机制现已被描述为放大和影响几种依赖炎症的病理状况的发病机制，包括癌症生长和转移、神经退行性变、自身免疫和心血管疾病。现有数据表明，我们才刚刚开始触及一个可能涉及许多受体和分子的复杂系统。这些发现可能有助于了解免疫介导疾病的发病机制，并为确定新的潜在治疗靶点提供基础。
