Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.
Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.
Cells. 2020 May 28;9(6):1345. doi: 10.3390/cells9061345.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of several biological processes, such as cell growth, cell proliferation, embryonic development, tissue differentiation, and apoptosis. Currently, over 2000 mammalian miRNAs have been reported to regulate these biological processes. A subset of microRNAs was found to be localized to human mitochondria (mitomiRs). Through years of research, over 400 mitomiRs have been shown to modulate the translational activity of the mitochondrial genome. While miRNAs have been studied for years, the function of mitomiRs and their role in neurodegenerative pathologies is not known. The purpose of our article is to highlight recent findings that relate mitomiRs to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's. We also discuss the involvement of mitomiRs in regulating the mitochondrial genome in age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
微小 RNA（miRNAs）是细胞生长、细胞增殖、胚胎发育、组织分化和细胞凋亡等多个生物学过程的重要调节因子。目前，已有超过 2000 种哺乳动物 miRNAs 被报道可调节这些生物学过程。一部分 microRNAs 被发现定位于人类线粒体（mitomiRs）。经过多年的研究，已经证实超过 400 种 mitomiRs 可以调节线粒体基因组的翻译活性。尽管 miRNAs 已经被研究多年，但 mitomiRs 的功能及其在神经退行性疾病中的作用尚不清楚。本文的目的是强调最近的发现，即 mitomiRs 与神经退行性疾病（包括阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病和亨廷顿病）有关。我们还讨论了 mitomiRs 在调节与年龄相关的神经退行性疾病中线粒体基因组中的作用。
