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。     

非编码RNA在胞内病原菌免疫逃逸与致病中的作用

非编码RNA(non-coding RNAs,ncRNAs)在细胞增殖、发育、分化、代谢、信号转导以及免疫调控中发挥重要调节作用。越来越多的研究证明,ncRNA在胞内病原菌的致病性和免疫逃逸中发挥重要调控作用。一方面ncRNA是细菌代谢、群体感应和毒力因子表达的调控因子,与胞内病原菌的致病性密切相关;另一方面ncRNA在调节宿主抗胞内病原菌免疫应答中发挥重要作用,深入研究ncRNA如何调节宿主免疫应答将有助于胞内菌免疫逃逸机制的研究。就非编码RNA在胞内病原菌免疫逃逸和致病中的作用作一综述。     

非编码RNA在胚胎干细胞中的研究进展

非编码RNA(non-coding RNAs,ncRNAs)通常因不能编码蛋白质而被误认为是一类无用序列。近年来,随着基因组测序等相关技术的发展,对ncRNAs的研究越来越受到人们的重视,更多的ncRNAs及其生物学功能被揭示,其广泛参与细胞生长、增殖、分化、凋亡等一系列生命进程的调控。胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cells,ESCs)研究是现代生物学发展最受关注的领域之一,其多能性的维持机制与分化的调控网络一直都是有待突破的核心问题,也成为了其应用于临床的主要障碍。ncRNAs在ESCs的许多生物学过程,特别是自我更新和多能性维持的过程中,发挥着重要的调控作用。ncRNAs的研究对于了解ESCs自我更新和多向分化的机制具有重要意义,关于ncRNAs与ESCs的研究是当前生命科学研究的前沿热点之一。现就ncRNAs及其在ESCs中的研究进展予以综述。     

真菌非编码RNA

非编码RNAs(non-coding RNA,ncRNAs)是一类在生物体中广泛存在的且不编码蛋白质的功能性RNA分子,直接在RNA水平发挥作用,影响生物体的生命活动.动植物ncRNAs的研究已有大量的文献报道,而真菌ncRNAs的研究报道则相对较少.近年来,随着研究技术的进步,人们在真菌中也发现了不少种类的ncRNAs,如snoRNA派生的ncRNAs、长片段ncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs,lncRNAs)、干扰小RNA(smallinterfering RNAs,siRNAs)、Killer双链RNA病毒,及丝状真菌的新型ncRNAs等.这些ncRNAs在真菌中具有多种多样的生物学功能,涉及基因的转录翻译、RNA加工修饰、染色体结构稳定性,以及真菌致病性等.因此,研究真菌ncRNAs不仅能为了解真菌的基因表达调控系统和生长提供重要信息,也能为阐明致病性真菌的致病机理提供新思路,对真菌性疾病的治疗具有重大意义.本文对真菌ncRNAs的发现、起源、分类、生物学功能等进行了综述,以期为进一步深入研究真菌ncRNAs提供一定的理论与研究基础.     

非编码RNA与病毒性心肌炎

病毒性心肌炎(Viral myocarditis,VMC)是一种由病毒感染所引起的以心肌细胞炎症为特征的疾病。由于病毒性心肌炎的发病机制尚未完全研究清楚,因此该病的诊断及治疗对于临床医生来说仍具有极大的挑战性。非编码RNAs (Non-coding RNAs,ncRNAs)是一类不具有编码蛋白质功能的RNA,越来越多的研究表明ncRNAs参与到调控VMC的发生和发展过程中,这可能成为VMC的治疗或诊断的新研究靶点。文中对近3年来关于ncRNAs在VMC的发病机制及诊断中可能发挥的作用进行了综述。     

RNA结合蛋白Sam68及其功能

细胞通过基因表达调控来应对外界刺激,其中影响mRNA稳定性及翻译效率的转录后调控发挥重要作用。RNA结合蛋白(RNA binding proteins, RBPs)是介导转录后调控的重要分子,Sam68（SRC associated in mitosis of 68 kD）是集信号转导特性与RNA激活功能于一身的RNA结合蛋白,参与转录、可变剪接及核输出等mRNA 的代谢过程,且Sam68可通过信号通路参与细胞应答、细胞周期调控和疾病发生等。最新研究表明,Sam68可通过非编码RNAs(noncoding RNA, ncRNAs)参与表观遗传、转录与转录后调控。本文在介绍Sam68结构和转录后修饰的基础上,着重讨论Sam68在信号转导、可变剪接、ncRNAs代谢、疾病发生等方面的最新研究进展。     

国家自然科学基金资助非编码RNAs与肿瘤研究

现总结2010—2017年国家自然科学基金委员会医学科学部肿瘤学代码下非编码RNAs(non-coding RNAs,ncRNAs)相关研究的申请、资助情况;展示自然科学基金资助下,中国在ncRNAs与肿瘤研究领域的现状和发展趋势;分析ncRNAs在肿瘤领域的前沿科学方向以及存在的问题。     

MicroRNA和lncRNA:衰老相关心血管疾病的重要调控因子

真核生物非编码RNA(non-coding RNA,ncRNAs)可在多个阶段调控基因表达。其中,研究最多的microRNAs(miRNA)主要在转录后水平抑制基因表达,而长链非编码RNAs(long non-coding RNA,lncRNAs)在转录和转录后水平对基因表达都具有调控作用。近来研究发现,ncRNAs对衰老相关疾病的恶化和病理过程有广泛影响,包括降低心血管功能与促进衰老相关心血管疾病的发生。本文对ncRNAs在衰老相关心血管疾病中的调控作用进行综述,提出了ncRNAs在衰老相关心血管疾病研究方面存在的问题和挑战。     

河蟹螺原体非编码RNA及其毒力靶标的多组学系统挖掘*

我国是世界最大水产养殖国,每年甲壳动物因病害造成的经济损失约为70亿元。其中,螺原体(Spiroplasma)是甲壳动物重要的致病菌之一,可造成虾蟹大面积死亡,已列入农业农村部三类疫病。非编码RNA(ncRNA)广泛存在于细菌中,其主要通过碱基配对识别靶标mRNA在转录后水平调节基因的表达,部分ncRNAs通过与蛋白质相互作用而影响蛋白质功能。近年研究表明,细菌ncRNAs在毒力调控中扮演极为重要的角色。为了研究河蟹螺原体ncRNAs在甲壳动物致病中的分子调控作用,需系统筛选鉴定螺原体感染相关的ncRNAs和毒力靶标。通过比较基因组、差异转录组、定量蛋白质组、系统生物学和分子相互作用联合研究得到:整合基因组和转录组挖掘得到河蟹螺原体ncRNAs 共54个;在体内感染和体外培养的不同时期,利用数字基因表达谱分析分别得到11个和28个差异显著ncRNAs;利用4款生物软件预测ncRNAs靶标,取交集得到423个;利用定量蛋白质组检测,鉴定出68个差异毒力蛋白,这些差异毒力蛋白与ncRNAs的30个毒力靶标中的21个相同;利用网络生物学分析得到主要的节点Hub-ncRNA共有6个;利用RNA pull-down、原核链特异性测序和LC-MS/MS综合分析,得到重要节点ncRNA SR05的互作RNA 53个、互作蛋白质120个。相关研究成果,可为诠释河蟹螺原体致病机制及其与宿主相互作用机制奠定基础,为虾蟹该疾病的综合防治提供科学依据。     

MicroRNAs在系统性硬化症纤维化中的作用及机制

微RNA（microRNAs,miRNAs）是在基因编码中起负性调控作用的内源性短链非编码RNA（non-coding RNAs,ncRNAs）,是生理和病理过程中基因表达必不可少的转录后调控物。miRNAs占人类基因组的1%～2%,通过与各自的mRNA结合并抑制其翻译,调节大于50%的人类基因及60%的哺乳动物蛋白质编码基因。系统性硬化症（systemic sclerosis,SSc）的发病机制由复杂的miRNAs网络调控。这些miRNAs位于与SSc纤维化相关的基因组区域,通过参与调节重要的细胞信号通路,如TGF-β、Wnt/β-catenin、TLR-4、IL和PDGF-β等,在SSc纤维化过程中发挥作用。同时,还与细胞信号转导、基质修复与重塑、成纤维细胞凋亡、胶原蛋白质合成和细胞外基质（extracellular matrix,ECM）沉积等相关。充分了解miRNAs在SSc纤维化中的重要性,有助于为SSc的诊断提供新的生物标记,为治疗提供新策略。本文综述了miRNAs在SSc纤维化过程中参与调节的这些复杂细胞信号通路的作用及机制,以期为SSc诊断、严重程度判断、预后评估,以及寻求潜在治疗靶点提供新思路。     

Molecular functions of small regulatory noncoding RNA

Recently, using large-scale genomic sequencing, a great number of small noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) has been discovered. Short ncRNAs can be classified into three major classes — small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA). These short ncRNAs ranging from 20 to 300 nt in size are now recognized as a new paradigm of gene regulation for controlling many biological processes. In this paper, we review the biogenesis and recent research on the functions of small regulatory non-coding RNAs and aim at understanding their important functions in living organisms.     

RNA结合蛋白与非编码RNA调节关系的研究进展

近年来,越来越多的研究表明,RNA结合蛋白(RNA binding protein,RBP)与多种类型的非编码RNAs(noncoding RNA,ncRNAs)具有互相调节的关系,且调节机制形式多样。一方面,RBP可以调节ncRNA的生物合成、稳定性和功能;另一方面,ncRNA也可以影响RBP的功能和结构。同时,RBP和ncRNA的相互作用还在其他靶基因的调节上起着重要的作用,从而参与众多的生物过程,如组织发育、代谢性疾病、神经退行性疾病、抗病毒免疫和各种癌症等。该文就RBP与常见类型的ncRNAs,包括miRNA、lncRNA、circRNA的相互作用方式和调节机制的研究进展作一综述。     

Computational Approaches in Detecting Non- Coding RNA

The important role of non coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the cell has made their identification a critical issue in the biological research. However, traditional approaches such as PT-PCR and Northern Blot are costly. With recent progress in bioinformatics and computational prediction technology, the discovery of ncRNAs has become realistically possible. This paper aims to introduce major computational approaches in the identification of ncRNAs, including homologous search, de novo prediction and mining in deep sequencing data. Furthermore, related software tools have been compared and reviewed along with a discussion on future improvements.     

New roles for large and small viral RNAs in evading host defences

It has been known for decades that some clinically important viruses encode abundant amounts of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) during infection. Until recently, the number of viral ncRNAs identified was few and their functions were mostly unknown. Although our understanding is still in its infancy, several recent reports have identified new functions for viral microRNAs and larger ncRNAs. These results so far show that different classes of viral ncRNAs act to autoregulate viral gene expression and evade host antiviral defences such as apoptosis and the immune response.     

非编码RNA在肿瘤细胞糖代谢中的调控作用

非编码RNA(non-coding RNA,ncRNA)是一类不具有蛋白质编码潜能的RNA,可分为管家ncRNA和调控性ncRNA。微RNA(microRNA,miRNA)是研究得比较清楚的一类调控性ncRNA,不仅可调控细胞分化、增殖和凋亡,还可通过调节糖酵解途径中的限速酶［如己糖激酶(hexokinase,HK)、磷酸果糖激酶(phosphofructokinase, PFK)和丙酮酸激酶(pyruvate kinase, PK)］来调控肿瘤细胞的糖代谢。长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNA, lncRNA)是另一类近年来引起重视的调控性ncRNA,它们可通过调节癌基因c Myc、葡糖转运蛋白(glucose transporter, GLUT)、HK和缺氧诱导因子等来调控肿瘤细胞的糖代谢。深入了解miRNA和lncRNA等调控性ncRNA调控肿瘤细胞糖代谢的机制不仅可以使我们更加深入地了解肿瘤的发生机制,而且可能为肿瘤的预防、诊断和治疗提供新方向。     

Hierarchical folding of multiple sequence alignments for the prediction of structures and RNA-RNA interactions

Background  

Many regulatory non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) function through complementary binding with mRNAs or other ncRNAs, e.g., microRNAs, snoRNAs and bacterial sRNAs. Predicting these RNA interactions is essential for functional studies of putative ncRNAs or for the design of artificial RNAs. Many ncRNAs show clear signs of undergoing compensating base changes over evolutionary time. Here, we postulate that a non-negligible part of the existing RNA-RNA interactions contain preserved but covarying patterns of interactions.     

Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) cross talk and language in ceRNA regulatory networks: A new look at hallmarks of breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently occurring malignancy in women worldwide. Despite the substantial advancement in understanding the molecular mechanisms and management of BC, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in women. One of the main reasons for this obstacle is that we have not been able to find the Achilles heel for the BC as a highly heterogeneous disease. Accumulating evidence has revealed that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), play key roles in the development of BC; however, the involving of complex regulatory interactions between the different varieties of ncRNAs in the development of this cancer has been poorly understood. In the recent years, the newly discovered mechanism in the RNA world is “competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA)” which proposes regulatory dialogues between different RNAs, including long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), transcribed pseudogenes, and circular RNAs (circRNAs). In the latest BC research, various studies have revealed that dysregulation of several ceRNA networks (ceRNETs) between these ncRNAs has fundamental roles in establishing the hallmarks of BC development. And it is thought that such a discovery could open a new window for a better understanding of the hidden aspects of breast tumors. Besides, it probably can provide new biomarkers and potential efficient therapeutic targets for BC. This review will discuss the existing body of knowledge regarding the key functions of ceRNETs and then highlights the emerging roles of some recently discovered ceRNETs in several hallmarks of BC. Moreover, we propose for the first time the “ceRnome” as a new term in the present article for RNA research.     

Regulatory non‐coding RNAs in acute myocardial infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases that leads to high mortality and morbidity globally. Various therapeutic targets for AMI have been investigated in recent years, including the non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs). NcRNAs, a class of RNA molecules that typically do not code proteins, are divided into several subgroups. Among them, microRNAs (miRNAs) are widely studied for their modulation of several pathological aspects of AMI, including cardiomyocyte apoptosis, inflammation, angiogenesis and fibrosis. It has emerged that long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) also regulate these processes via interesting mechanisms. However, the regulatory functions of ncRNAs in AMI and their underlying functional mechanisms have not been systematically described. In this review, we summarize the recent findings involving ncRNA actions in AMI and briefly describe the novel mechanisms of these ncRNAs, highlighting their potential application as therapeutic targets in AMI.