MicroRNA News and Research

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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.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind lung cancer relapse

When a doctor gives a patient antibiotics for a bacterial infection, they usually require them to finish the entire treatment, even when symptoms go away.

13 Jul 2021

Study provides a reliable early prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 severity

In a retrospective, multi-centre cohort study conducted by researchers from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jinling Hospital and the Second Hospital of Nanjing, a microRNA-like small RNA encoded by SARS-CoV-2 was identified in the serum of COVID-19 patients, which can be developed as a non-invasive biomarker for stratification of severe patients from mild/moderate ones and for identification of high-risk individuals before clinical manifestation of severe symptoms.

6 Jul 2021

Researchers seek to find a cure for the deadliest solid tumor in children

Australian researchers and oncologists have been awarded $2.4 million to investigate the causes and treatments for neuroblastoma, the deadliest and most common solid tumor in children under the age of five.

5 Jul 2021

Researchers reveal underlying genetic pathway behind neurological dysfunction of Rett syndrome

Medical researchers led by Kyushu University have revealed a possible underlying genetic pathway behind the neurological dysfunction of Rett syndrome.

2 Jul 2021

Overexpression of PGC1 in vascular smooth muscle cells ameliorates atherosclerosis

In a new study published in Circulation Research, Chen-Yu Zhang and Xiaohong Jiang's group from Nanjing University and Dongjin Wang's group from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital reported a critical role of PGC1α in maintaining the contractile phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and highlighted the therapeutic potential of PGC1α for atherosclerosis.

25 Jun 2021

New platform can detect microRNA-205 with high sensitivity, excellent selectivity

In a paper published in NANO, a team of researchers from Jiangnan University, China have prepared a convenient sensing platform which can detect microRNA-205 (MiR-205) with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity using TpTta-COF nanosheet and fluorescent oligonucleotide probes.

18 Jun 2021

MicroRNAs in urine could be a promising biomarker to diagnose brain tumors, study reveals

A recent study by Nagoya University researchers revealed that microRNAs in urine could be a promising biomarker to diagnose brain tumors.

17 Jun 2021

Study uncovers mechanisms by which microRNAs drive atherogenesis in a cell-type-specific manner

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered potential mechanisms by which microRNAs (miRNA) drive atherogenesis in a cell-type-specific manner.

2 Jun 2021

Synthetic microRNA can serve as a novel therapeutic agent for treating human cancer

Oncotarget published "Multi-modal effects of 1B3, a novel synthetic miR-193a-3p mimic, support strong potential for therapeutic intervention in oncology" which reported that the authors comprehensively investigated miRNA-193a-3p's mode of action in a panel of human cancer cell lines, with a variety of genetic backgrounds, using 1B3, a synthetic microRNA mimic

2 Jun 2021

Researchers develop proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders like sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia that could raise hemoglobin levels by activating production of both fetal and adult hemoglobin.

1 Jun 2021

Newly identified small molecule can be used to rejuvenate the brain, counteract memory loss

Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of dementia and current therapeutic strategies cannot prevent, slow down or cure the pathology.

25 May 2021

Researchers show how low-protein diet during pregnancy can cause kidney problems in babies

Besides being underweight, babies born to women whose diet lacked sufficient protein during pregnancy tend to have kidney problems resulting from alterations that occurred while their organs were forming during the embryonic stage of their development.

5 May 2021

New study launched to more accurately diagnose early hepatocellular carcinoma

A first of its kind cohort study on patients at high risk of developing primary liver cancer also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has been launched to diagnose HCC more accurately at an earlier stage and to predict an individual's likelihood of developing the cancer.

3 May 2021

Study reveals a hidden role of circulating microRNA as a driver of SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a methodological tour-de-force study, a large group of researchers from the USA and the United Kingdom analyzed patient transcriptomic data in-depth and discovered a circulating microRNA (miR-2392) that is directly implicated in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) machinery during the infection process.

26 Apr 2021

New approach to scale up genome editing in tiny worms

Understanding the effects of specific mutations in gene regulatory regions - the sections of DNA and RNA that turn genes on and off - is important to unraveling how the genome works, as well as normal development and disease.

13 Apr 2021

Study uncovers molecular reason why fecal transplants effectively treat C. difficile infections

Experts have uncovered a new molecular reason why faecal transplants are highly effective in treating infections such as C. difficile (a nasty bacteria that can infect the bowel), which could lead to more targeted treatments for this and other similar diseases.

9 Apr 2021

Microrna-29 molecule controls brain maturation in mammals

A team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine identified a molecule called microRNA-29 as a powerful controller of brain maturation in mammals. Deleting microRNA-29 in mice caused problems very similar to those seen in autism, epilepsy, and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

8 Apr 2021

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