MicroRNAs in age-related diseases

Abstract

Aging is a complex process that is linked to an increased incidence of major diseases such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, but also cancer and immune disorders. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which post-transcriptionally control gene expression by inhibiting translation or inducing degradation of targeted mRNAs. MiRNAs target up to hundreds of mRNAs, thereby modulating gene expression patterns. Many miRNAs appear to be dysregulated during cellular senescence, aging and disease. However, only few miRNAs have been so far linked to age-related changes in cellular and organ functions. The present article will discuss these findings, specifically focusing on the cardiovascular and neurological systems. This review is part of the small RNAs review series. See more reviews from this series. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1757-4684/homepage/reviews_smallrnas.htm MicroRNAs have been implicated in the aging process. This review discusses recent findings on the roles of microRNAs in conditions associated with aging, with a focus on cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. © 2013 The Authors. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Ltd on behalf of EMBO.