title: miR-155: an ancient regulator of the immune system.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a newly recognized class of regulatory genes which repress the expression of protein-coding genes. Numerous studies have uncovered a complex role for miRNAs regulating many aspects of a variety of cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation, and lineage commitment. In the immune system, miR-155 is unique in its ability to shape the transcriptome of activated myeloid and lymphoid cells controlling diverse biological functions ranging from inflammation to immunological memory. Not surprisingly, a tight control of miR-155 expression is required to avoid malignant transformation, as evidenced by miR-155 overexpression in many cancers of B-cell origin. In this review, we discuss the potential of miR-155 as a molecular target for therapeutic intervention and discuss the function of miR-155 in the context of protective immunity. We first look back into the emergence of miR-155 in evolution, which is coincidental with the emergence of the ancestors of the antigen receptors. We then summarize what we have learned about the role of miR-155 in the regulation of lymphoid subsets at the cellular and molecular level in the context of recent progress in this field.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lymphocyte Signalling and Development, The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK. elena.vigorito@babraham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vigorito
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohlhaas
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leyland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D022423:Myeloid Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D011946:Receptors, Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: C524942:MIRN155 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011946:Receptors, Antigen