miRNAs: Key Players in Neurodegenerative Disorders and Epilepsy

Article type: Review Article

Authors: Karnati, Hanuma Kumar^{a; *} | Panigrahi, Manas Kumar^b | Gutti, Ravi Kumar^a | Greig, Nigel H.^c | Tamargo, Ian A.^{c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India | [b] Department of Neurosurgery, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hyderabad, Telangana, India | [c] Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Ian A. Tamargo, Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, 21224, MD, USA. ian.tamargo@nih.gov

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Hanuma Kumar Karnati, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana 500046, India. hanumabio@gmail.com

Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, ∼22 nucleotide, non-coding RNA molecules that function as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. miRNA dysregulation has been observed in cancer and in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the neurological disorder, epilepsy. Neuronal degradation and death are important hallmarks of neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, abnormalities in metabolism, synapsis and axonal transport have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia. A number of recently published studies have demonstrated the importance of miRNAs in the nervous system and have contributed to the growing body of evidence on miRNA dysregulation in neurological disorders. Knowledge of the expressions and activities of such miRNAs may aid in the development of novel therapeutics. In this review, we discuss the significance of miRNA dysregulation in the development of neurodegenerative disorders and the use of miRNAs as targets for therapeutic intervention.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, miRNAs, neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson’s disease

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-150395

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 563-580, 2015