title: [Potential role of microRNAs in human diseases and the exploration on design of small molecule agents].
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous noncoding RNAs, about 22 nucleotides in length, that mediate post-transcriptional gene modulation by annealing to inexactly complementary sequences in the 3'-untranslated regions of target mRNAs. miRNA alterations are involved in the initiation and progression of human diseases. miRNA-expression profiling of human diseases has identified signatures associated with diagnosis, staging, progression, prognosis and response to treatment. Recent evidence has suggested miRNAs as viable therapeutic targets for a wide range of human diseases. Several approaches were performed, the experimental examination of these techniques and the resultant findings not only indicate feasibility of interfering miRNA action in a gene-specific fashion but also may provide a new research tool for studying function of miRNAs. The new approaches also have the potential of becoming alternative gene therapy strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Incubator of State-Province Key Laboratories of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan-jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bao-feng
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015195:Drug Design; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020868:Gene Silencing; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger