title: Functions of the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway through microRNAs (review).
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) have emerged as key regulators of gene expression in essential cellular processes, such as cell growth, differentiation and development. Recent findings have established that the levels of miRNAs are modulated by cell signaling mechanisms, including the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway. The BMP signaling pathway controls diverse cellular activities by modulating the levels of miRNAs, indicating the complexity of gene regulation by the BMP signaling pathway. The tight regulation of the levels of miRNAs is critical for maintaining normal physiological conditions, and dysregulated miRNA levels contribute to the development of diseases. In the present review, we discuss different insights (provided over the past decade) into the regulation of miRNAs governed by the BMP signaling pathway and the implications of this regulation on the understanding of the cellular differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), osteoblasts and neuronal cells.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hata
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Sciences, College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 406-772, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hara
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis; D010012:Osteogenesis; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs