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Journal ArticleDOI

MicroRNA-21 contributes to myocardial disease by stimulating MAP kinase signalling in fibroblasts

TL;DR: It is shown that microRNA-21 regulates the ERK–MAP kinase signalling pathway in cardiac fibroblasts, which has impacts on global cardiac structure and function and confirms miR-21 as a disease target in heart failure and establishes the therapeutic efficacy of microRNA therapeutic intervention in a cardiovascular disease setting.
Abstract: MicroRNAs comprise a broad class of small non-coding RNAs that control expression of complementary target messenger RNAs. Dysregulation of microRNAs by several mechanisms has been described in various disease states including cardiac disease. Whereas previous studies of cardiac disease have focused on microRNAs that are primarily expressed in cardiomyocytes, the role of microRNAs expressed in other cell types of the heart is unclear. Here we show that microRNA-21 (miR-21, also known as Mirn21) regulates the ERK-MAP kinase signalling pathway in cardiac fibroblasts, which has impacts on global cardiac structure and function. miR-21 levels are increased selectively in fibroblasts of the failing heart, augmenting ERK-MAP kinase activity through inhibition of sprouty homologue 1 (Spry1). This mechanism regulates fibroblast survival and growth factor secretion, apparently controlling the extent of interstitial fibrosis and cardiac hypertrophy. In vivo silencing of miR-21 by a specific antagomir in a mouse pressure-overload-induced disease model reduces cardiac ERK-MAP kinase activity, inhibits interstitial fibrosis and attenuates cardiac dysfunction. These findings reveal that microRNAs can contribute to myocardial disease by an effect in cardiac fibroblasts. Our results validate miR-21 as a disease target in heart failure and establish the therapeutic efficacy of microRNA therapeutic intervention in a cardiovascular disease setting.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Dysregulation of these ncRNAs is being found to have relevance not only to tumorigenesis, but also to neurological, cardiovascular, developmental and other diseases, and there is great interest in therapeutic strategies to counteract these perturbations.
Abstract: The role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in disease is best understood for microRNAs in cancer. However, there is increasing interest in the disease-related roles of other ncRNAs — including piRNAs, snoRNAs, T-UCRs and lncRNAs — and in using this knowledge for therapy.

4,016 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent advances in the understanding of miRNAs in cancer and in other diseases are described and the challenge of identifying the most efficacious therapeutic candidates is discussed and a perspective on achieving safe and targeted delivery of miRNA therapeutics is provided.
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can modulate mRNA expression. Insights into the roles of miRNAs in development and disease have led to the development of new therapeutic approaches that are based on miRNA mimics or agents that inhibit their functions (antimiRs), and the first such approaches have entered the clinic. This Review discusses the role of different miRNAs in cancer and other diseases, and provides an overview of current miRNA therapeutics in the clinic. In just over two decades since the discovery of the first microRNA (miRNA), the field of miRNA biology has expanded considerably. Insights into the roles of miRNAs in development and disease, particularly in cancer, have made miRNAs attractive tools and targets for novel therapeutic approaches. Functional studies have confirmed that miRNA dysregulation is causal in many cases of cancer, with miRNAs acting as tumour suppressors or oncogenes (oncomiRs), and miRNA mimics and molecules targeted at miRNAs (antimiRs) have shown promise in preclinical development. Several miRNA-targeted therapeutics have reached clinical development, including a mimic of the tumour suppressor miRNA miR-34, which reached phase I clinical trials for treating cancer, and antimiRs targeted at miR-122, which reached phase II trials for treating hepatitis. In this article, we describe recent advances in our understanding of miRNAs in cancer and in other diseases and provide an overview of current miRNA therapeutics in the clinic. We also discuss the challenge of identifying the most efficacious therapeutic candidates and provide a perspective on achieving safe and targeted delivery of miRNA therapeutics.

3,210 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: How cell-intrinsic changes in important structural cells can perpetuate the fibrotic response by regulating the differentiation, recruitment, proliferation and activation of extracellular matrix–producing myofibroblasts is described.
Abstract: Fibrosis is a key aspect of many chronic inflammatory diseases and can affect almost every tissue in the body. This review discusses recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of fibrosis, focusing on the innate and adaptive immune responses. It also describes how some of these crucial pathogenic pathways are being therapeutically targeted in the clinic.

2,492 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
16 Mar 2012-Cell
TL;DR: Emerging principles of miRNA regulation of stress signaling pathways are reviewed and applied to the authors' understanding of the roles of miRNAs in disease.

1,491 citations


Cites background from "MicroRNA-21 contributes to myocardi..."

  • ...Systemic delivery of cholesterol-modified miR-21 antagomirs has been reported to diminish MAPK signaling in cardiac fibroblasts and thereby completely prevent and reverse cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis, and hypertrophy in response to pressure overload (Thum et al., 2008)....

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  • ...Administration of inhibitors that target this miRNA prevent pathologic cardiac remodeling yet germ-line deletion of miR-21 has no effect on cardiovascular pathology (Patrick et al., 2010; Thum et al., 2008)....

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  • ...…class of miRNAs is miR-21, which is upregulated by MAPK/ERK signaling in response to cardiac stress (van Rooij et al., 2006; Patrick et al., 2010; Thum et al., 2008). miR-21 targets Sprouty2 (Spry2), a negative regulator of the MAPK/ERK cascade, thereby further enhancing signaling through this…...

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  • ...Among this class of miRNAs is miR-21, which is upregulated by MAPK/ERK signaling in response to cardiac stress (van Rooij et al., 2006; Patrick et al., 2010; Thum et al., 2008)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review guides the reader through important aspects of non-coding RNA biology, including their biogenesis, mode of actions, physiological function, as well as their role in the disease context (such as in cancer or the cardiovascular system).
Abstract: Advances in RNA-sequencing techniques have led to the discovery of thousands of non-coding transcripts with unknown function. There are several types of non-coding linear RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNA) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA), as well as circular RNAs (circRNA) consisting of a closed continuous loop. This review guides the reader through important aspects of non-coding RNA biology. This includes their biogenesis, mode of actions, physiological function, as well as their role in the disease context (such as in cancer or the cardiovascular system). We specifically focus on non-coding RNAs as potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers.

1,238 citations


Cites background from "MicroRNA-21 contributes to myocardi..."

  • ...Investigators have shown that the ERK-MAP kinase pathway is under control, in CFs, of miR-21 (263)....

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  • ...Most importantly, the pharmacological silencing of miR-21 in vivo by using specific antisense chemistries is able to reduce the activation of the ERK-MAP kinase pathway and, consequently, the onset of fibrosis and hypertrophy following pressure overload (263)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
23 Jan 2004-Cell
TL;DR: Although they escaped notice until relatively recently, miRNAs comprise one of the more abundant classes of gene regulatory molecules in multicellular organisms and likely influence the output of many protein-coding genes.

32,946 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
15 Sep 2004-Nature
TL;DR: Evidence is mounting that animal miRNAs are more numerous, and their regulatory impact more pervasive, than was previously suspected.
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that regulate the expression of complementary messenger RNAs. Hundreds of miRNA genes have been found in diverse animals, and many of these are phylogenetically conserved. With miRNA roles identified in developmental timing, cell death, cell proliferation, haematopoiesis and patterning of the nervous system, evidence is mounting that animal miRNAs are more numerous, and their regulatory impact more pervasive, than was previously suspected.

9,986 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 2005-Nature
TL;DR: It is shown that a novel class of chemically engineered oligonucleotides, termed ‘antagomirs’, are efficient and specific silencers of endogenous miRNA levels in mice and may represent a therapeutic strategy for silencing miRNAs in disease.
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of non-coding RNAs that are believed to be important in many biological processes through regulation of gene expression. The precise molecular function of miRNAs in mammals is largely unknown and a better understanding will require loss-of-function studies in vivo. Here we show that a novel class of chemically engineered oligonucleotides, termed 'antagomirs', are efficient and specific silencers of endogenous miRNAs in mice. Intravenous administration of antagomirs against miR-16, miR-122, miR-192 and miR-194 resulted in a marked reduction of corresponding miRNA levels in liver, lung, kidney, heart, intestine, fat, skin, bone marrow, muscle, ovaries and adrenals. The silencing of endogenous miRNAs by this novel method is specific, efficient and long-lasting. The biological significance of silencing miRNAs with the use of antagomirs was studied for miR-122, an abundant liver-specific miRNA. Gene expression and bioinformatic analysis of messenger RNA from antagomir-treated animals revealed that the 3' untranslated regions of upregulated genes are strongly enriched in miR-122 recognition motifs, whereas downregulated genes are depleted in these motifs. Analysis of the functional annotation of downregulated genes specifically predicted that cholesterol biosynthesis genes would be affected by miR-122, and plasma cholesterol measurements showed reduced levels in antagomir-122-treated mice. Our findings show that antagomirs are powerful tools to silence specific miRNAs in vivo and may represent a therapeutic strategy for silencing miRNAs in disease.

4,045 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results indicate that the MAPK pathway is essential for growth and maintenance of the ras-transformed phenotype and PD 098059 is an invaluable tool that will help elucidate the role of theMAPK cascade in a variety of biological settings.
Abstract: Treatment of cells with a variety of growth factors triggers a phosphorylation cascade that leads to activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs, also called extracellular signal-regulated kinases, or ERKs). We have identified a synthetic inhibitor of the MAPK pathway. PD 098059 [2-(2'-amino-3'-methoxyphenyl)-oxanaphthalen-4-one] selectively inhibited the MAPK-activating enzyme, MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK), without significant inhibitory activity of MAPK itself. Inhibition of MEK by PD 098059 prevented activation of MAPK and subsequent phosphorylation of MAPK substrates both in vitro and in intact cells. Moreover, PD 098059 inhibited stimulation of cell growth and reversed the phenotype of ras-transformed BALB 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and rat kidney cells. These results indicate that the MAPK pathway is essential for growth and maintenance of the ras-transformed phenotype. Further, PD 098059 is an invaluable tool that will help elucidate the role of the MAPK cascade in a variety of biological settings.

2,697 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
28 Jun 2007-Nature
TL;DR: A family of miRNAs, miR-34a–c, whose expression reflected p53 status is described, whose encoded genes are direct transcriptional targets of p53, whose induction by DNA damage and oncogenic stress depends on p53 both in vitro and in vivo.
Abstract: A global decrease in microRNA (miRNA) levels is often observed in human cancers, indicating that small RNAs may have an intrinsic function in tumour suppression. To identify miRNA components of tumour suppressor pathways, we compared miRNA expression profiles of wild-type and p53-deficient cells. Here we describe a family of miRNAs, miR-34a-c, whose expression reflected p53 status. Genes encoding miRNAs in the miR-34 family are direct transcriptional targets of p53, whose induction by DNA damage and oncogenic stress depends on p53 both in vitro and in vivo. Ectopic expression of miR-34 induces cell cycle arrest in both primary and tumour-derived cell lines, which is consistent with the observed ability of miR-34 to downregulate a programme of genes promoting cell cycle progression. The p53 network suppresses tumour formation through the coordinated activation of multiple transcriptional targets, and miR-34 may act in concert with other effectors to inhibit inappropriate cell proliferation.

2,658 citations

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