MicroRNA-33a/b in lipid metabolism – novel “thrifty” models.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs; miRs) are small non-protein-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression. They bind to the 3' UTR of specific mRNAs and either inhibit translation or promote mRNA degradation. There is emerging evidence linking miR-33a/b to lipid homoeostasis, targeting ABCA1,SREBF1, etc and it would appear that they have acted as "thrifty genes" during evolution to maintain cholesterol levels both at the cellular and whole body level. As we are now living in a period of "satiation", miR-33a/b no longer seem to be useful and could be potential therapeutic targets for lipid disorders and/or atherosclerosis. In this review, we describe the current understanding of the function of miR-33a/b in lipid homeostasis, focusing on the "thrifty" aspect.
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Koh
K
Ono
Takahiro
T
Horie
Tomohiro
T
Nishino
Osamu
O
Baba
Yasuhide
Y
Kuwabara
Masayuki
M
Yokode
Toru
T
Kita
Takeshi
T
Kimura
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D064286:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020871:RNA Stability; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; C577836:ABCA1 protein, human; D064286:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1; C550416:MIRN33a microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; C497387:SREBF1 protein, human; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1