MicroRNAs and Metabolism Crosstalk in Energy Homeostasis

Abstract

In record time, microRNAs (miRNAs) have acquired the respected stature of important natural regulators of global gene expression. Multiple studies have demonstrated that a large number of miRNAs are under the control of various metabolic stimuli, including nutrients, hormones, and cytokines. Conversely, it is now well recognized that miRNAs control metabolism, thereby generating a bidirectional functional link, which perturbs energy homeostasis in case of disconnection in the miRNA-metabolism interplay. A challenging road lies ahead for defining the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of diseases such as diabetes and for establishing their usefulness as new medications and clinically reliable biomarkers.

MicroRNAs: An adaptive mechanism in the pancreatic β-cell…and beyond?

“…and pathway (p53, G-protein coupled receptor, PLC, etc.) will be recognized as being targeted by miRNA [24] [25] [26]. Therefore it is imperative for the field to now put these observations in perspective and understand the implications of miRNA function in the β-cell.…”

MiR-15a and miR-16 induce autophagy and enhance chemosensitivity of Camptothecin

“…13,14 MiRNAs are important regulators in various fundamental biological and pathological processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, metabolism, and cancer, as well as autophagy. [15][16][17][18][19][20] MiRNAs have recently been identified as important regulators of autophagy. 19 Some miRNAs suppress autophagic activity via targeting autophagy-related proteins (ATGs) under stress conditions.…”

Circulating microRNAs and diabetes: potential applications in medical practice

“…Among the miRNAs expressed in the endocrine pancreas, miR-375 has one of the highest levels of expression both in humans and rodents. In animal studies, miR-375 seems to play a complex role in beta cell function and physiology [5,7]. Under physiological conditions its overexpression leads to reduced beta cell growth [50], while in stressed beta cells its decreased expression appears to counteract the beta cell hyperplasia [51].…”

“…apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, exosomes) [14,15]. Owing to their stability, circulating miRNAs could be used as biomarkers, and this possibility is currently being explored in a wide range of pathologies, including diabetes [5,16,17]. Indeed, they can be easily collected using noninvasive procedures.…”

“…miRNAs form a class of small endogenous non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression [4]. Hence, miRNAs impact on physiological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and metabolism [4][5][6]. Consequently, their dysregulation appears to be involved in various disorders, including metabolic diseases such as diabetes (for reviews, see [5,7]).…”