title: The origin, function, and diagnostic potential of extracellular microRNAs in human body fluids.
abstract: Recently, numerous studies have documented the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) as an essential cornerstone of the genetic system. Although RNA is usually considered an unstable molecule because of the ubiquitous ribonuclease, miRNAs are now known to circulate in the bloodstream and other body fluids in a stable, cell-free form. Importantly, extracellular miRNAs are aberrantly present in plasma, serum, and other body fluids during the pathogenesis of many diseases and, thus, are promising noninvasive or minimally invasive biomarkers to assess the pathological status of the body. However, the origin and biological function of extracellular miRNAs remains incompletely understood. In this review, we summarize the recent literature on the biogenesis and working models of extracellular miRNAs, and we highlight the impact of extending these ongoing extracellular miRNA studies to clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Suyang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chen-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zen
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D035683:MicroRNAs