MicroRNA News and Research

RSS

In genetics, microRNAs (miRNA) are single-stranded RNA molecules of 21-23 nucleotides in length, which regulate gene expression. miRNAs are encoded by genes from whose DNA they are transcribed but miRNAs are not translated into protein (i.e. they are non-coding RNAs); instead each primary transcript (a pri-miRNA) is processed into a short stem-loop structure called a pre-miRNA and finally into a functional miRNA. Mature miRNA molecules are partially complementary to one or more messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, and their main function is to down-regulate gene expression.

Molecule plays double role in maintaining gut health and promoting diseases

A molecule that controls intestinal cell growth plays a dual role maintaining gut health and promoting diseases such as cancer, says a study in eLife.

30 Nov 2017

Penn researchers reveal new approach to restart replication in cardiomyocytes after heart attack

In mammals, including humans, the cells that contract the heart muscle and enable it to beat do not regenerate after injury.

29 Nov 2017

Scientists identify new method of treating neuropathic pain in mice

New research from King's College London has revealed a previously undiscovered mechanism of cellular communication, between neurons and immune cells, in neuropathic pain.

27 Nov 2017

Low levels of miR-29 could reduce susceptibility to cardiac fibrosis

Cardiac fibrosis involves an increase of connective tissue in the cardiac muscle, causing a loss of function. A team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich has now discovered that microRNA 29 (miR-29) plays an important role in the formation of tissue fibrosis.

23 Nov 2017

High-fat diet during lactation alters RNA activity in breast milk, research suggests

New research suggests that following a high-fat diet during lactation - regardless of diet during pregnancy - alters RNA activity in breast milk. The changes in genetic material may increase the risk of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes in offspring. The article is published ahead of print in Physiological Genomics.

21 Nov 2017

Tiny markers in saliva can be used to diagnose duration of a concussion in kids

Researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine have found that tiny molecules present in the saliva can predict the occurrence, length and duration of a concussion in a child. The study titled, “Association of Salivary MicroRNA Changes With Prolonged Concussion Symptoms”, was published in the latest issue of JAMA Pediatrics on the 20th of November 2017.

20 Nov 2017

Small molecules in saliva may offer clues to diagnose and predict duration of concussions

Diagnosing a concussion can sometimes be a guessing game, but clues taken from small molecules in saliva may be able to help diagnose and predict the duration of concussions in children, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

20 Nov 2017

Scientists find key that allows neural differentiation of microRNA-deficient pluripotent stem cells

The more than 200 different types of human cells have the same DNA but express different ensembles of genes. Each cell type was derived from embryonic stem cells, which are called pluripotent stem cells because they can differentiate to all those different cell fates.

15 Nov 2017

Research sheds new light on extensive effects of sleep on the brain

Although the general benefits of a good night's sleep are well established, one-third of American adults do not get a sufficient amount of sleep. Recent research sheds new light on the extensive effects of sleep on the brain, as well as the harms caused by sleep loss.

13 Nov 2017

Researchers find distinct molecular signatures in chronic fatigue syndrome and Gulf War Illness

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found distinct molecular signatures in two brain disorders long thought to be psychological in origin -- chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI).

10 Nov 2017

Endurance training can be helpful in dealing with muscle inflammation

Endurance training can actually be helpful in dealing with muscle inflammation, according to a new paper co-written by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

8 Nov 2017

New discovery in beta-cell pathway shows potential to improve effectiveness of diabetes drugs

Over the past 15 years, University of Alabama at Birmingham endocrinologist Anath Shalev, M.D., has unraveled a crucial biological pathway that malfunctions in diabetes.

8 Nov 2017

Roundworms may provide new clues to nicotine dependence

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute found that a previously dismissed genetic mechanism may contribute to nicotine dependence, and to the withdrawal effects that can make quitting smoking so difficult.

7 Nov 2017

Non-invasive diagnostic tool developed for early detection of ovarian cancer

Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to develop a new technique to detect ovarian cancer early and accurately.

31 Oct 2017

Study reveals unique molecules in the blood of people with MS

A breakthrough study led by the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital has revealed unique molecules in the blood of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that could become definitive diagnostic biomarkers of the world's most common neurologic disability in young adults.

30 Oct 2017

Newly identified microRNA impedes malignancy of tumor cells and metastasis

Cancer cells can reactivate a cellular process that is an essential part of embryonic development. This allows them to leave the primary tumor, penetrate the surrounding tissue and form metastases in peripheral organs.

27 Oct 2017

Drexel researchers pinpoint new targets for treating chronic lung disease in premature infants

Researchers at Drexel University have revealed that inhibiting the micro-RNA miR-34a significantly reduces bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in mice.

27 Oct 2017

Researchers use nanopore technique to detect biomarkers of disease

Adam Hall, Ph.D., isn't kidding when he says the research he does is on a very small scale. But he is understating things more than just a little.

20 Oct 2017

New microcapsules represent promising vectors for application of genome-editing tools

Researchers from Tomsk Polytechnic University jointly with their colleagues from St. Petersburg, Hamburg and London have conducted a study in the course of which it was found out that polymer and hybrid silica-coated microcapsules are more efficient in genome-editing when applying CRISPR-Cas9 system.

6 Oct 2017

Researchers uncover promising targets for development of drugs against leishmaniasis

Brazilian researchers at the University of São Paulo's Bioscience Institute (IB-USP) are starting to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which the parasite that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis manages to circumvent the host organism's defenses and infect new cells.

5 Oct 2017