An integrated hypothesis for miR-126 in vascular disease

microRNA miR-126 was among the early discovered miRNAs that are expressed specifically in the vasculature and have critical functions in vascular development. Recent studies have started to unveil potentially important function of miR-126 in vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke and diabetic vasculopathy. The action of miR-126 reflects its function in angiogenesis and inflammation. The expression of miR-126 is downregulated in a variety of vascular diseases, and miR-126 overexpression appears to beneficial for most vascular disease models. In the minireview, we summarize the historic and current research regarding miR-126 function and mechanisms in the vascular system, its link to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA), as well as the potential of miR-126-based therapeutics for vascular diseases. To explain the seemingly conflicting function of miR-126 from different studies, an integrated hypothesis is proposed that miR-126 has strand- and cell type-specific functions in angiogenesis and inflammation, making it beneficial in many different vascular disease models.