Let-7 in Cardiovascular Diseases, Heart Development and Cardiovascular Differentiation from Stem Cells

Abstract

The let-7 family is the second microRNA found in C. elegans. Recent researches have found it is highly expressed in the cardiovascular system. Studies have revealed the aberrant expression of let-7 members in cardiovascular diseases, such as heart hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), myocardial infarction (MI), arrhythmia, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Let-7 also participates in cardiovascular differentiation of embryonic stem cells. TLR4, LOX-1, Bcl-xl and AGO1 are by now the identified target genes of let-7. The circulating let-7b is suspected to be the biomarker of acute MI and let-7i, the biomarker of DCM. Further studies are necessary for identifying the gene targets and signaling pathways of let-7 in cardiovascular diseases. Let-7 might be a potential therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases. This review focuses on the research progresses regarding the roles of let-7 in cardiovascular development and diseases.

The Pharmacology of the Cytochrome P450 Epoxygenase/Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Axis in the Vasculature and Cardiovascular Disease

“…However, the microRNA let-7b is reported to target CYP2J2 . This is of particular interest because the let-7 family is highly expressed in the cardiovascular system and the altered expression of let-7 members has been implicated in cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, as well as cardiomyopathy arrhythmia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and angiogenesis (for review, see Bao et al, 2013). Although it is not an epoxygenase, the CYP1B1 that has been implicated in angiogenesis and cancer is tightly regulated by the angiogenic microRNA miR-27b (Tsuchiya et al, 2006;Devlin et al, 2010;Chuturgoon et al, 2014).…”

Regulatory Noncoding RNAs in Cardiovascular Disease: Shedding Light on ‘Dark Matter’

“…Later, these studies lead to the identification of several miRNAs, which play potential roles in post-MI-induced cardiac remodeling. Bao et al 32 have demonstrated that miRNAs, Let-7b and Let-7i can act as biomarkers of AMI and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) respectively. Let-7c expression alterations were strikingly similar in failing human and fetal hearts.…”

MicroRNA let‐7g possesses a therapeutic potential for peripheral artery disease

“…The miRNA let-7 family plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation, cancer and cardiovascular diseases [7,8]. Our group previously reported that let7g prevents atherosclerosis by inhibiting the uptake of oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) into endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells [9].…”