循环miR-155作为肿瘤生物标志物的研究进展

microRNAs(mi RNAs)是一类在转录后水平影响生物体基因表达的小分子非编码RNA,参与调控机体正常发育和疾病发生发展等过程。新近研究发现,循环mi RNA由于具有取样方便和高度稳定性等优点,迅速成为目前的研究热点。micro RNA-155(mi R-155)在多种肿瘤中高表达。循环mi R-155已被证实与多种肿瘤的发生、发展相关,可作为一种分子标志物用于肿瘤的早期诊断和实时监测。该文围绕循环mi R-155作为肿瘤标志物的研究进展予以综述。     

肌细胞特异性microRNAs生物学效应研究进展

micro RNAs(mi RNAs)是一类含有20~22个核苷酸的非编码单链小分子RNA,发挥转录后水平负调控基因表达和翻译的作用,具有生物学功能多样性,可作为多种疾病诊断和预后重要分子标志。该文介绍了肌细胞特异性mi RNAs,如mi R-1、mi R-133、mi R-145、mi R-206基因等染色体分布、序列、组织表达丰度、主要通路,并对肌细胞特异性mi RNAs在气管平滑肌、血管平滑肌、心肌等细胞中的生物学效应研究进展进行综述。     

microRNA作为传染性疾病标志物的研究进展

传染性疾病往往具有较大的传染性,易于大面积流行,且难以控制,严重危害人们生命健康,快速准确的筛查成为预防及控制其传播的重要手段之一。Micro RNA(mi RNA)是一类长度仅有约22nt的非编码单链微小RNA,广泛存在于动植物真核细胞中,主要通过与靶m RNA分子的3'端非编码区域(3'-untranslated region,3'UTR)完全或不完全互补配对,调控该m RNA分子的表达或转录后翻译;在细胞生长、发育、凋亡,肿瘤形成,病毒感染等多种生理病理过程中起重要作用。在病毒感染时,mi RNA调控病毒与宿主之间的相互作用,影响病毒感染的进程与结局;感兴趣的是,mi RNA其自身的表达对病毒感染具有一定的特异性。因此,mi RNA有望成为筛查病毒传染性疾病的临床标志物,目前已成为一热点研究领域。本文主要从循环体液中mi RNA的稳定性,mi RNA在病毒感染中的特异性表达,以及mi RNA检测技术方面做简要综述,并对mi RNA作为传染病一种新型检测标志物的可行性进行了初步的分析。     

MicroRNAs与心肌细胞肌浆网钙操纵功能调控

肌浆网(sarcoplasmic reticulum,SR)钙操纵功能是心肌细胞发生、发育及成熟的重要环节之一,是心肌收缩维持心脏泵血的功能基础。多种心脏疾病发生发展与SR钙操纵功能的紊乱有关。研究表明,micro RNAs(mi RNAs)以多种作用途径参与心肌细胞SR钙操纵功能的调节以及心脏疾病的发生发展或者心脏功能的保护。该文主要围绕mi RNAs调控心肌细胞SR钙操纵及其机制的研究现状作一综述,并对mi RNAs在心脏疾病的临床诊断和治疗中的运用前景进行展望。     

DNA功能化纳米金结合基因芯片可视化检测microRNAs

开发了一种纳米金探针结合基因芯片用于micro RNAs(mi RNAs)检测的高灵敏度便携式生物传感器.靶标mi RNAs特异性捕获探针固定在芯片上,通过与纳米金探针杂交进行检测,最后利用过氧化氢(H2O2)还原四氯金酸(HAu Cl4)来放大检测信号.利用单个纳米金探针结合基因芯片可以检测到10 pmol/L的靶标mi RNAs,测得mi R-126在胎牛血清中的回收率为81.5%~109.1%.用这种生物传感器检测肺癌组织样本总RNA中的mi R-126,结果与定量PCR结果具有一致性.利用双纳米金探针进一步提高了检测灵敏度,可以检测到1 fmol/L的mi R-125a-5p.整个分析时间不超过1 h,并且实验结果可以用肉眼观察.这个平台可以同时检测肺癌相关mi R-126和mi R-125a-5p,并且具有费用低、快速和便捷的优势,有望用于mi RNAs的超灵敏可视化检测.     

microRNAs功能相似性计算方法研究进展

microRNAs(mi RNAs)是一类非编码小RNA分子,在生命过程中发挥着广泛而又重要的调控功能。迄今只有极少数mi RNAs具有明确功能,通过计算mi RNAs功能相似性推测mi RNAs调控功能已成为mi RNAs研究中的一个热点,在mi RNAs功能识别研究中发挥着重要作用。本文综述了计算mi RNAs功能相似性方法的研究进展,总结了各种主流计算方法的算法思想和优缺点,探讨了该领域的进一步发展方向。     

非编码RNAs对骨骼肌发育及疾病的调控作用

非编码RNAs(noncoding RNAs,ncRNAs)包括长链非编码RNAs(long noncoding RNAs,lncRNAs)和小RNAs(microRNAs,miRNAs),与成肌分化、肌纤维类型的调控和骨骼肌疾病关系密切;近期循环ncRNAs成为研究热点,可用作某些疾病的潜在血浆分子标志物,对疾病早期进行筛选。通过研究ncRNAs在骨骼肌发育中的作用及机制将会为骨骼肌疾病的治疗提供潜在靶点。     

阿霉素诱导下的肝癌细胞HepG2中微小RNA差异表达分析

旨在研究阿霉素诱导引起的DNA损伤压力下,肝癌细胞Hep G2中参与DNA损伤应答的mi RNA,并分析这些mi RNA靶基因参与肝癌DNA损伤应答相关的生物学进程与通路。通过小RNA测序检测阿霉素处理肝癌细胞Hep G2前后mi RNA的差异表达情况,使用GO与KEGG通路富集方法对差异表达mi RNA靶基因进行功能富集分析。结果显示,共检测出显著表达差异mi RNA 68个,其中上调13个,下调55个。mi RNA靶基因的功能分析结果显示,53条mi RNAs靶基因显著富集于调控细胞增殖、细胞凋亡、细胞迁移和细胞周期等与DNA损伤应答以及肿瘤相关的生物进程和信号通路,包括p53信号通路、癌症通路、Wnt信号通路和MAPK信号通路等。研究表明,在阿霉素诱导下,Hep G2中的差异表达mi RNAs与DNA损伤相关的肿瘤生物学进程以及信号通路显著相关,预示这些mi RNAs在阿霉素引发的肝细胞癌DNA损伤应答中起着重要的作用。     

microRNA对衰老相关分子SIRT1调控作用的研究进展

沉默信息调节因子1(silent information regulator 1,SIRT1)是NAD+依赖的III类组蛋白去乙酰化酶,是衰老相关信号通路中的重要分子,参与细胞衰老过程。微小RNA(micro RNA,mi RNA)是一类长度约为22 nt的内源性非编码小分子RNA,通过影响靶m RNA的稳定性或抑制其翻译从而对基因进行转录后表达的调控。研究表明,mi RNAs可以通过调控SIRT1的表达,促进细胞衰老。现就mi RNA对衰老相关分子SIRT1的调控作用进行概述。     

microRNA及Wnt 信号通路在急性淋巴细胞白血病中的作用研究进展

micro RNAs(mi RNAs)是一种内源性的基因调控元件,参与细胞增殖、分化、凋亡等多种重要生物学过程。在许多实体瘤和血液系统恶性肿瘤中均存在mi RNA异常表达,说明mi RNA可能参与肿瘤的发生及发展。Wnt通路是一条经典的信号通路,其异常激活与多种实体瘤和血液系统恶性肿瘤的发生发展密切相关。急性淋巴细胞白血病(acute lymphoblastic leukemia,ALL)是一种常见的成人血液系统恶性肿瘤,现已发现多种mi RNA在ALL中异常表达,并与发病、治疗效果及预后有关。在ALL中可见Wnt信号通路的异常激活及通路抑制剂的异常失活,并且这些变化与ALL的预后密切相关。本文就mi RNAs和Wnt信号通路在急性淋巴细胞白血病(acute lymphoblastic leukemia,ALL)中的作用相关研究进展作一综述,以提供靶向治疗ALL的新思路。     

Real-time PCR-based analysis of the human bile microRNAome identifies miR-9 as a potential diagnostic biomarker for biliary tract cancer

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is often difficult to diagnose definitively, even through histological examination. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate a variety of physiological processes. In recent years, it has been suggested that profiles for circulating miRNAs, as well as those for tissue miRNAs, have the potential to be used as diagnostic biomarkers for cancer. The aim of this study was to confirm the existence of miRNAs in human bile and to assess their potential as clinical biomarkers for BTC. We sampled bile from patients who underwent biliary drainage for biliary diseases such as BTC and choledocholithiasis. PCR-based miRNA detection and miRNA cloning were performed to identify bile miRNAs. Using high-throughput real-time PCR-based miRNA microarrays, the expression profiles of 667 miRNAs were compared in patients with malignant disease (n = 9) and age-matched patients with the benign disease choledocholithiasis (n = 9). We subsequently characterized bile miRNAs in terms of stability and localization. Through cloning and using PCR methods, we confirmed that miRNAs exist in bile. Differential analysis of bile miRNAs demonstrated that 10 of the 667 miRNAs were significantly more highly expressed in the malignant group than in the benign group at P<0.0005. Setting the specificity threshold to 100% showed that some miRNAs (miR-9, miR-302c*, miR-199a-3p and miR-222*) had a sensitivity level of 88.9%, and receiver-operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that miR-9 and miR-145* could be useful diagnostic markers for BTC. Moreover, we verified the long-term stability of miRNAs in bile, a characteristic that makes them suitable for diagnostic use in clinical settings. We also confirmed that bile miRNAs are localized to the malignant/benign biliary epithelia. These findings suggest that bile miRNAs could be informative biomarkers for hepatobiliary disease and that some miRNAs, particularly miR-9, may be helpful in the diagnosis and clinical management of BTC.     

Stability analysis of liver cancer-related microRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding, single-stranded RNAs of approximately 22 nt and constitute a novel class of gene regulators that are found in both plants and animals. Several studies have demonstrated that serum miRNAs could serve as potential biomarkers for the detection of various cancers and other diseases. A few documents regarding the stability of liver cancer-related miRNAs in serum are available. A systemic analysis of the stability of miRNA in serum is quite necessary. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of miRNAs from three different sources, cultured liver cancer Huh-7 cell line, clinical liver cancer, and serum under different experimental conditions, including different temperature, time duration, pH values, RNase A digestion, DNase I digestion, and various freeze-thaw cycles. The qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that liver cancer-related miRNAs were detectable under each of test conditions, indicating that miRNAs were extremely stable and resistant to destruction and degradation under harsh environmental conditions. However, ribosomal RNA was fragile and easily degraded by demonstrating sharp decrease of relative expression under the non-physiological test conditions. We also established a robust procedure for serum RNA extraction, which is greatly important not only for the miRNA profiling studies but also for the disease prognosis based on abnormal miRNA expression.     

Circulating miRNAs in cancer: from detection to therapy

Since the discovery of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in body fluids, an increasing number of studies have focused on their potential as non-invasive biomarkers and as therapeutic targets or tools for many diseases, particularly for cancers. Because of their stability, miRNAs are easily detectable in body fluids. Extracellular miRNAs have potential as biomarkers for the prediction and prognosis of cancer. Moreover, they also enable communication between cells within the tumor microenvironment, thereby influencing tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize the progresses made over the past decade regarding circulating miRNAs, from the development of detection methods to their clinical application as biomarkers and therapeutic tools for cancer. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of different detection methods and the pathways of circulating miRNAs in cell-cell communication, in addition to their clinical pharmacokinetics and toxicity in human organs. Finally, we highlight the potential of circulating miRNAs in clinical applications for cancer.