Noncoding RNAs as regulators of cardiomyocyte proliferation and death

Cardiovascular diseases are currently the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Ischemic heart disease, in particular, is responsible for the majority of cardiac-related deaths. Given the negligible regenerative potential of the human myocardium, there is a strong need for therapeutic strategies aiming at enhancing cardiomyocyte survival and proliferation following injury or at inhibiting their death. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules regulating gene expression at a post-transcriptional level with important functions in cardiovascular physiology and disease. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs can influence the ability of cardiomyocytes to enter the cell cycle and/or escape from death pathways. Additionally, long non coding-RNAs could be involved in such pathways. This review summarizes recent evidences on noncoding RNAs regulating proliferation and death of cardiomyocytes representing a future therapeutic for the treatment of heart diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Non-coding RNAs.