Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara. Ferrara, Italy.
Theranostics. 2021 Apr 30;11(13):6573-6591. doi: 10.7150/thno.55664. eCollection 2021.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been identified in many adult tissues. MSCs can regenerate through cell division or differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondrocytes. As a result, MSCs have become an important source of cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for bone tissue and cartilage. Several epigenetic factors are believed to play a role in MSCs differentiation. Among these, microRNA (miRNA) regulation is involved in the fine modulation of gene expression during osteogenic/chondrogenic differentiation. It has been reported that miRNAs are involved in bone homeostasis by modulating osteoblast gene expression. In addition, countless evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs dysregulation is involved in the development of osteoporosis and bone fractures. The deregulation of miRNAs expression has also been associated with several malignancies including bone cancer. In this context, bone-associated circulating miRNAs may be useful biomarkers for determining the predisposition, onset and development of osteoporosis, as well as in clinical applications to improve the diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of cancer and metastases. Overall, this review will provide an overview of how miRNAs activities participate in osteogenic/chondrogenic differentiation, while addressing the role of miRNA regulatory effects on target genes. Finally, the role of miRNAs in pathologies and therapies will be presented.
间充质干细胞（MSCs）已在许多成人组织中被鉴定出来。MSCs 可以通过细胞分裂或分化为脂肪细胞、成骨细胞和成软骨细胞来再生。因此，MSCs 已成为组织工程和再生医学中用于骨组织和软骨的细胞的重要来源。几种表观遗传因素被认为在 MSCs 分化中起作用。在这些因素中，microRNA（miRNA）调节参与成骨/成软骨分化过程中基因表达的精细调节。据报道，miRNAs 通过调节成骨细胞基因表达来参与骨稳态。此外，无数证据表明，miRNAs 失调参与了骨质疏松症和骨折的发生。miRNAs 表达的失调也与包括骨癌在内的几种恶性肿瘤有关。在这种情况下，与骨骼相关的循环 miRNA 可能是用于确定骨质疏松症易感性、发病和发展的有用生物标志物，并且在临床应用中可用于改善癌症和转移的诊断、随访和治疗。总体而言，本综述将概述 miRNA 活性如何参与成骨/成软骨分化，同时解决 miRNA 调节对靶基因的影响。最后，将介绍 miRNA 在病理和治疗中的作用。
