Non-coding RNA influences in dementia

Abstract

Dementia is a complex clinical syndrome characterised by progressive decline in cognitive function. It usually presents itself as impairment in memory, loss of judgement, abstract thinking and other disturbances that are severe enough to interfere with activities of daily living. It has long been considered as one of the major challenges at present posing an ever-increasing demand on global health and social care systems. Of all the different forms of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common. The term non-coding RNA (ncRNA) refers to RNA sequences which do not have the ability to be translated into proteins and therefore mainly fall within the realm of the recently acknowledged ‘dark matter’ of the genome. This genomic dark matter encompasses a whole spectrum of differing ncRNA families such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), transfer RNAs (tRNAs), small nuclear RNAs (snoRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), to name but a few. Consequently, due to the widespread influences of miRNAs and lncRNAs across all disease pathways, it is of critical importance for researchers in the field of dementia to focus their attention on possible ncRNA-induced pathogeneses, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel diagnostic procedures and drug targets, together with the development of novel therapies to control such a devastating mental condition in the patient population.

LncRNA Gm14205 induces astrocytic NLRP3 inflammasome activation via inhibiting oxytocin receptor in postpartum depression

“…Our study showed that the protein level of OXTR was decreased while the mRNA level was unchanged, suggesting a potential post-transcriptional mechanism as well. Post-transcriptional regulation refers to the regulation of gene expression after RNA transcription and is one of the characteristics of eukaryotic gene expression [45,46]. Studies have shown that lncRNA may participate in the pathophysiological process of depression and regulate DNA transcription and chromosome remodeling [26,47].…”

Small RNA modifications in Alzheimer’s disease

“…16,17 We found changes in RNA-modification profiles in the AD brain cortex in both fractions of small RNAs. While the involvement of miRNA in the pathogenesis of AD has been explored 2,3,26 , the identifications of rsRNAs and ysRNAs in a pathophysiological context has only begun to emerge 8,27,28 and has not been studied in AD. The dynamic expression of these non-canonical small RNAs suggests the possibility of unidentified biological functions that warrant further investigation 29,30 , particularly in relation to several risk factor genes that have been identified for AD in the last few decades.…”

MicroRNA alterations in neuropathologic cognitive disorders with an emphasis on dementia: Lessons from animal models

“…The miRNAs, PIWI-interacting RNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), small nuclear RNAs, transfer RNAs, and circular RNAs are different families of mentioned noncoding RNAs. Among these, lncRNA and miRNA families are clinically significant because of their gene regulatory functions (Ayers & Scerri, 2018). miRNAs are small, 18-23 nucleotide, single-stranded, and nonprotein coding RNAs primarily detected in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, then characterized in plants and animals ( Figure 1; Hong, Li, & Su, 2017;G.…”

“…3′-UTR and lowers the level of this protein (Cheng et al, 2013). According to previous studies, overexpression of miRNA-146a has been observed in the majority of affected areas of AD brains like the hippocampus and temporal cortex (Ayers & Scerri, 2018). Recent miRNA is a regulator of inflammatory responses (Rusca & Monticelli, 2011) and an association has been shown between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of this miRNA and risk of AD in the future along with cognitive impairment of AD sufferers (L. Cui et al, 2014).…”

“…The miRNAs, PIWI‐interacting RNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), small nuclear RNAs, transfer RNAs, and circular RNAs are different families of mentioned noncoding RNAs. Among these, lncRNA and miRNA families are clinically significant because of their gene regulatory functions (Ayers & Scerri, 2018).…”