MicroRNAs, new effectors and regulators of NF-κB

Since its discovery 25 years ago, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) has emerged as a transcription factor that controls diverse biological functions, ranging from inflammation to learning and memory. Activation of NF-κB initiates an elaborate genetic program. Some of the NF-κB-driven genes do not encode proteins but rather are precursors to microRNAs. These microRNAs play important roles in the regulation of the inflammatory process, some being inhibitory and others activating. Here, we discuss both the regulation of their expression and the function of some of these non-coding RNA genes. We also include a personal discussion of how NF-κB was first discovered.