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MicroRNAs in injury and repair

Archives of Toxicology volume 91, pages 2781–2797 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Organ damage and resulting pathologies often involve multiple deregulated pathways. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that regulate a multitude of genes at the post-transcriptional level. Since their discovery over two decades ago, miRNAs have been established as key players in the molecular mechanisms of mammalian biology including the maintenance of normal homeostasis and the regulation of disease pathogenesis. In recent years, there has been substantial progress in innovative techniques to measure miRNAs along with advances in targeted delivery of agents modulating their expression. This has expanded the scope of miRNAs from being important mediators of cell signaling to becoming viable quantitative biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Currently, miRNA therapeutics are in clinical trials for multiple disease areas and vast numbers of patents have been filed for miRNAs involved in various pathological states. In this review, we summarize miRNAs involved in organ injury and repair, specifically with regard to organs that are the most susceptible to injury: the liver, heart and kidney. In addition, we review the current state of knowledge on miRNA biology, miRNA biomarkers and nucleotide-based therapeutics designed to target miRNAs to prevent organ injury and promote repair.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Mira Pavkovic and Dr. Mariana Cardenas-Gonzalez for invaluable suggestions during the write up of this review article. Work in the Vaidya laboratory was supported by Outstanding New Environmental Sciences (ONES) award from NIH/NIEHS (ES017543) and Innovation in Regulatory Science Award from Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF-1012518).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Cory V. Gerlach & Vishal S. Vaidya

  2. Department of Medicine, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Cory V. Gerlach & Vishal S. Vaidya

  3. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Cory V. Gerlach & Vishal S. Vaidya

  4. Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Room 562, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Vishal S. Vaidya

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  1. Cory V. Gerlach
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Correspondence to Vishal S. Vaidya.

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Gerlach, C.V., Vaidya, V.S. MicroRNAs in injury and repair. Arch Toxicol 91, 2781–2797 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-017-1974-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-017-1974-1

Keywords

  • MicroRNAs
  • Injury
  • Repair
  • Liver
  • Heart
  • Kidney