title: MicroRNA function and neurotrophin BDNF.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRs), endogenous small RNAs, regulate gene expression through repression of translational activity after binding to target mRNAs. miRs are involved in various cellular processes including differentiation, metabolism, and apoptosis. Furthermore, possible involvement of miRs in neuronal function have been proposed. For example, miR-132 is closely related to neuronal outgrowth while miR-134 plays a role in postsynaptic regulation, suggesting that brain-specific miRs are critical for synaptic plasticity. On the other hand, numerous studies indicate that BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), one of the neurotrophins, is essential for a variety of neuronal aspects such as cell differentiation, survival, and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system (CNS). Interestingly, recent studies, including ours, suggest that BDNF exerts its beneficial effects on CNS neurons via up-regulation of miR-132. Here, we present a broad overview of the current knowledge concerning the association between neurotrophins and various miRs.
authors: Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Tokyo 187-8502, Japan. numakawa@ncnp.go.jp
authors: Tadahiro
authors: T
authors: Numakawa
authors: Misty
authors: M
authors: Richards
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Adachi
authors: Soichiro
authors: S
authors: Kishi
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Kunugi
authors: Kazuo
authors: K
authors: Hashido
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D035683:MicroRNAs