Logo image
MicroRNA biology and pain
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

MicroRNA biology and pain

Marguerite K McDonald and Seena K Ajit
Progress in molecular biology and translational science, v 131, pp 215-249
2015
PMID: 25744675
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/12076179View
Open

Abstract

Animals Genome Humans MicroRNAs - blood MicroRNAs - metabolism Models, Biological Pain - genetics
Endogenously expressed small noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in posttranscriptionally regulating gene expression by binding to mRNAs with complementary sequences. miRNA-mRNA interactions allow for cellular flexibility to fine-tune gene expression by controlling translation in response to a multitude of signaling events. Disease states or perturbations in cellular homeostasis can lead to aberrant miRNA expression. The discovery of stable miRNAs in circulation generated enormous interest in exploring their utility as potential noninvasive biomarkers. Additionally, selectively inhibiting or supplementing an miRNA contributing to pathogenesis is being pursued as a therapeutic strategy for a variety of disorders. Studies from rodent models of pain and patients have now implicated a role for miRNAs in mediating various aspects of pain processing. These noncoding RNAs can provide mechanistic insights into the pathways modulated and could serve as therapeutic targets. Here, we discuss the challenges associated with miRNA research and the promises ahead in this vastly unexplored avenue in pain biology.

Metrics

8 Record Views
28 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Anesthesiology
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Logo image