title: microRNAs in spinal cord injury: potential roles and therapeutic implications.
abstract: microRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. miRNAs can modulate gene expression and thus play important roles in diverse neurobiological processes, such as cell differentiation, growth, proliferation and neural activity, as well as the pathogenic processes of spinal cord injury (SCI) like inflammation, oxidation, demyelination and apoptosis. Results from animal studies have revealed the temporal alterations in the expression of a large set of miRNAs following SCI in adult rats, and the expressional changes in miRNAs following SCI is bidirectional (increase or decrease). In addition, several miRNAs have distinct roles in prognosis of SCI (protective, detrimental and varied). Taken together, the existing evidence suggests that abnormal miRNA expression following SCI contributes to the pathogenesis of SCI, and miRNAs may become potential targets for the therapy of SCI.
authors.affiliation: 1. Department Spinal Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China; ; 2. Department of Neurobiology, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China;
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.affiliation: 3. School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: 1. Department Spinal Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China; ; 3. School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Rong-Han
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 3. School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 3. School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Na-Sha
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 2. Department of Neurobiology, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China;
authors.forename: Zhe-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: diagnosis.; microRNA; spinal cord injury; therapy