title: MicroRNAs, fibrotic remodeling, and aortic aneurysms.
abstract: Aortic aneurysms are a common clinical condition that can cause death due to aortic dissection or rupture. The association between aortic aneurysm pathogenesis and altered TGF-β signaling has been the subject of numerous investigations. Recently, a TGF-β-responsive microRNA (miR), miR-29, has been identified to play a role in cellular phenotypic modulation during aortic development and aging. In this issue of JCI, Maegdefessel and colleagues demonstrate that decreasing the levels of miR-29b in the aortic wall can attenuate aortic aneurysm progression in two different mouse models of abdominal aortic aneurysms. This study highlights the relevance of miR-29b in aortic disease but also raises questions about its specific role.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA. dianna.m.milewicz@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Dianna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Milewicz
mesh_terms: D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C547014:MIRN29 microRNA, mouse; C532045:MIRN29a microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs