Alzheimer's disease: presence and role of microRNAs - PubMed (original) (raw)

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Alzheimer's disease: presence and role of microRNAs

Manasa Basavaraju et al. Biomol Concepts. 2016.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that accounts for the most cases of dementia. AD affects more than 25 million people globally and is predicted to affect nearly one in 85 people worldwide by 2050. AD is characterized by the accumulation of dense plaques of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau that cause impairment in memory, cognition, and daily activities. Although early-onset AD has been linked to several mutations, reliable genetic markers for late-onset AD are lacking. Further, the diagnosis of AD biomarkers has its limitations and cannot detect early-stage AD. The identification of accurate, early, and non-invasive biomarkers for AD is, therefore, an unmet challenge. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a novel class of gene regulatory elements with conserved roles in development and disease. Recent discoveries have uncovered roles of miRNAs in several model organisms during aging and have identified potential miRNAs biomarkers of AD. Here we will discuss this emerging field of miRNAs associated with AD and prospects for the future.

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Figure 1

Figure 1

Association of miRNAs with aging and age-related diseases in different model organisms. Model of the association between selected miRNAs, predicted targets, and phenotypes on life span or age-related diseases. The arrows denote functional or expression relationships that have identified between miRNAs and their targets or with specific phenotypes on life span or age-associated disease states. Note that the arrows only specify association but not the type of regulation (i.e. positive vs. negative regulation). This list is not exhaustive – see text and Table 1 for further details. Conserved miRNAs with already confirmed cross-species function in aging or age-related diseases are offset and highlighted in red.

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