Non-coding RNAs as potential targets for treatment and early diagnosis of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are debilitating disorders affecting a significant portion of the world's rapidly growing aging population. Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are the most common NDs. These diseases constitute a group of disorders, wherein aggregation of misfolded proteins, mitochondrial function, disruption of cellular signaling, and neuronal cell death occurs. The exact etiology is still unknown, and hence a complete cure to these diseases is yet to be found, partly because these diseases are multifactorial in nature and a single factor responsible for cause and progression of these ailments is not known to exist. Recent studies indicate that non-coding RNAs (particularly miRNAs and circRNAs) are possibly involved in progression of various neurodegenerative diseases. Precisely, miRNAs are highly expressed in the neurons of central nervous system where they play pivotal role during neuronal differentiation and neuronal plasticity. The nature of miRNAs to regulate hundreds of genes, thereby multiple pathways simultaneously, makes it possible that any common miRNA may trigger multiple pathways associated with NDs. The ability of circRNAs to regulate the function of miRNAs by sponging has emerged as interesting possibility, thus being explored as biomarker and as potential novel target for therapeutic intervention against these ailments. Here, we provide an overview on the potential target of non-coding RNAs (miRNAs and circRNAs) in various NDs.