miRNA Regulatory Functions in Farm Animal Diseases, and Biomarker Potentials for Effective Therapies

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 22; no. 6; p. 3080
• Main Authors: Do, Duy N, Dudemaine, Pier-Luc, Mathur, Manisha, Suravajhala, Prashanth, Zhao, Xin, Ibeagha-Awemu, Eveline M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17.03.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal diseases; Animal Diseases - genetics; Animal Diseases - therapy; Animal health; Animals; Animals, Domestic - genetics; Antigens; Bioinformatics; Biological activity; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - metabolism; Cancer therapies; Disease management; Economic importance; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Livestock; Livestock - genetics; livestock diseases; Livestock industry; mastitis; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - genetics; MicroRNAs - metabolism; miRNA; miRNAs; Next-generation sequencing; Non-coding RNA; Pathogenesis; Post-transcription; Proteins; PRRSV; regulatory networks; Review; Transcriptomics; foot-and-mouth disease; mastitis; miRNAs; biomarkers; livestock diseases; Marek’s disease; regulatory networks; RNAi therapy; PRRSV
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063080

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by targeting either the 3' untranslated or coding regions of genes. They have been reported to play key roles in a wide range of biological processes. The recent remarkable developments of transcriptomics technologies, especially next-generation sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics tools, allow more in-depth exploration of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including miRNAs. These technologies have offered great opportunities for a deeper exploration of miRNA involvement in farm animal diseases, as well as livestock productivity and welfare. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of miRNA roles in major farm animal diseases with a particular focus on diseases of economic importance. In addition, we discuss the steps and future perspectives of using miRNAs as biomarkers and molecular therapy for livestock disease management as well as the challenges and opportunities for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs related to disease pathogenesis.