Xu Shunbin, Hazlett Linda D
Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Microorganisms. 2019 Sep 17;7(9):359. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms7090359.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding, regulatory RNA molecules and constitute a newly recognized, important layer of gene-expression regulation at post-transcriptional levels. miRNAs quantitatively fine tune the expression of their downstream genes in a cell type- and developmental stage-specific fashion. miRNAs have been proven to play important roles in the normal development and function as well as in the pathogenesis of diseases in all tissues and organ systems. miRNAs have emerged as new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for treatment and diagnosis of various diseases. Although miRNA research in ocular infection remains in its early stages, a handful of pioneering studies have provided insight into the roles of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of parasitic, fungal, bacterial, and viral ocular infections. Here, we review the current status of research in miRNAs in several major ocular infectious diseases. We predict that the field of miRNAs in ocular infection will greatly expand with the discovery of novel miRNA-involved molecular mechanisms that will inform development of new therapies and identify novel diagnostic biomarkers.
微小RNA（miRNA）是一类小的、非编码的调节性RNA分子，构成了转录后水平上新近被认识的重要基因表达调控层面。miRNA以细胞类型和发育阶段特异性的方式定量微调其下游基因的表达。已证明miRNA在所有组织和器官系统的正常发育和功能以及疾病发病机制中发挥重要作用。miRNA已成为各种疾病治疗和诊断的新治疗靶点和生物标志物。尽管眼部感染中的miRNA研究仍处于早期阶段，但一些开创性研究已深入了解了miRNA在寄生虫、真菌、细菌和病毒眼部感染发病机制中的作用。在此，我们综述了几种主要眼部传染病中miRNA的研究现状。我们预测，随着涉及miRNA的新分子机制的发现，眼部感染中的miRNA领域将大幅扩展，这将为新疗法的开发提供信息并鉴定新的诊断生物标志物。
