MicroRNAs in health and disease; a review of its multifaceted roles

Abstract

A new class of noncoding small RNAs, called microRNAs (miRNAs), has emerged as important regulators in biological processes. The important role of miRNAs in inflammation and immune response is highlighted by studies in which deregulation of miRNAs was demonstrated to accompany diseases associated with excessive inflammation. It is now known that miRNAs are involved in a broad range of developmental and physiological processes and their deregulation appears to play a fundamental role in the onset, progression, and dissemination of many cancers as well as in many other human diseases. This review article encompasses the roles of miRNAs that have been characterized in innate and adaptive immune responses. It also evaluates the roles of miRNAs as modulators of protein output from hundreds of target genes; they may impact physiological processes by regulating the concentrations of just a few key cellular proteins.

Key words: miRNA, protein, inflammation, immune, transcription