Essential role of microRNA in skin physiology and disease

Abstract

The identification and characterization of microRNAs (miRNAs) is a rapidly growing area of research also in dermatology. Skin represents the largest organ in the human body, and its morphogenesis has been shown to require a highly coordinated and undisrupted miRNA profile. High expression of several miRNAs in the epidermis and hair follicles is necessary for normal skin development. Profiling studies have identified numerous differentially regulated miRNAs associated with either normal physiological status of the skin or some pathological processes or both. This chapter covers current knowledge of the important roles of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of some skin diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), dermatomyositis (DM), psoriasis (PS), and skin cancer, especially malignant melanoma (MM). In addition, the diagnostic and therapeutic relevance of miRNAs that are involved in pathological processes of the skin are elucidated providing further information for some possible clinical implications especially for their use as therapeutic targets or disease biomarkers.