The roles of microRNAs in epigenetic regulation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, approximately 18–25 nucleotides in length, now recognized as one of the major regulatory gene families in eukaryotes. Recent advances have been made in understanding the complicated roles of miRNAs in epigenetic regulation. miRNAs, as epigenetic modulator...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent opinion in chemical biology Vol. 51; pp. 11 - 17
Main Authors Yao, Qian, Chen, Yuqi, Zhou, Xiang
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2019
Subjects
DNA Methylation
Epigenesis, Genetic
Histone Code
Humans
MicroRNAs - genetics
RNA - genetics
RNA Interference
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, approximately 18–25 nucleotides in length, now recognized as one of the major regulatory gene families in eukaryotes. Recent advances have been made in understanding the complicated roles of miRNAs in epigenetic regulation. miRNAs, as epigenetic modulators, affect the protein levels of the target mRNAs without modifying the gene sequences. Moreover, miRNAs can also be regulated by epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, RNA modification, and histone modifications. The reciprocal actions of miRNAs and epigenetic pathway appear to form a miRNA-epigenetic feedback loop and have an extensive influence on gene expression proliferation. The dysregulation of the miRNA-epigenetic feedback loop interferes with the physiological and pathological processes and contributes to variety of diseases. In this review, we focus on the reciprocal interconnection of miRNAs in epigenetic regulation, with the aim of offering new insights into the epigenetic regulatory mechanism that can be used to combat diseases.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:1367-5931
1879-0402
DOI:10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.01.024