The role of miRNAs in multiple sclerosis
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and myelin destructive disease which involves the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). miRNAs are a new group of non-coding and small RNA molecules which control posttranscriptional gene expression. By now, the role of miRNAs in several important biological processes has been emerged including growth, cell cycle, development, differentiation, metabolism, and apoptosis. miRNA Expression profiling studies show that the expression of some miRNAs (such as miR-155 and miR-326) changes in the blood cells or brain lesions of multiple sclerosis patients in comparison with healthy subjects. Furthermore, it has been reported that deficiency of these miRNAs in animal models of multiple sclerosis can change the clinical symptoms of the disease. In this review article, we first explained the mechanism of biogenesis and function of miRNAs briefly and then review the most recent studies on miRNA expression profiling in multiple sclerosis patients, the possible targets of disregulated miRNAs and the possible ways through which they could participate in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. © 2014, Iranian Neurogenetics Society. All rights reserved.