MicroRNAs in Tissue Regeneration: Lessons from Animal Models

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression. Over the past two decades, multiple studies have established the importance of miRNAs in regulating a variety of biological processes, one of which includes regenerative repair. Although many miRNAs have been shown to regulate the expression of genes that are required for regeneration, few studies have extrapolated these findings from cell culture to in vivo animal models or reported comparative work between regenerating and non-regenerating systems. Here, we review the most current literature highlighting the role of distinct miRNAs in regulating the repair of different tissues, focusing on the heart, limb and spinal cord. In exploring existing work, we emphasize the importance of using animal models to provide foundational knowledge that could potentially lead to future therapeutic strategies to allow for functional regenerative repair in humans.