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Published on: June 15, 2018
miRNAs in Heart Development and Disease
Estefania Lozano-Velasco1, José Manuel Inácio2, Inês Sousa3
1Cardiovascular Development Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaen, Spain.
Insights
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Bioinformatics tools accelerate the discovery of miRNA roles and therapeutic targets for heart conditions.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Cardiology
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a significant global health burden, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators involved in cardiac development, function, and pathology.
- miRNAs hold potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cardiovascular conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of miRNAs in cardiac development and CVD.
- To highlight the application of bioinformatics in miRNA research for cardiovascular medicine.
- To discuss challenges and opportunities in the field.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of miRNA functions in cardiovascular biology.
- Analysis of bioinformatics tools for miRNA identification, target prediction, and expression profiling.
- Synthesis of current knowledge on miRNA-based cardiovascular research.
Main Results:
- miRNAs significantly influence cardiac development and are implicated in various CVDs.
- Bioinformatic algorithms are essential for dissecting miRNA-mediated gene regulation and interactions in the heart.
- The integration of miRNA research and bioinformatics offers promising avenues for CVD diagnosis and treatment.
Conclusions:
- miRNAs are pivotal in cardiovascular health and disease, offering therapeutic potential.
- Bioinformatics is indispensable for advancing our understanding of miRNA roles in cardiology.
- Further research integrating miRNA biology and computational approaches is crucial for developing effective CVD interventions.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a group of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. They include conditions such as myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmia, and congenital heart defects. CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide. Therefore, new medical interventions that aim to prevent, treat, or manage CVDs are of prime importance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and play important roles in various biological processes, including cardiac development, function, and disease. Moreover, miRNAs can also act as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In order to identify and characterize miRNAs and their target genes, scientists take advantage of computational tools such as bioinformatic algorithms, which can also assist in analyzing miRNA expression profiles, functions, and interactions in different cardiac conditions. Indeed, the combination of miRNA research and bioinformatic algorithms has opened new avenues for understanding and treating CVDs. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the roles of miRNAs in cardiac development and CVDs, discuss the challenges and opportunities, and provide some examples of recent bioinformatics for miRNA research in cardiovascular biology and medicine.
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