title: Functions of microRNA-33a/b and microRNA therapeutics.
abstract: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall. It is characterized by subendothelial accumulation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and its subsequent modification at athero-prone areas leads to further activation of the vascular wall and maintains vascular inflammation. An entirely new level of post-transcriptional gene regulation through microRNA (miR) expression has emerged recently as an important mechanism in the development and progression of numerous diseases, including atherosclerosis. Recently, miR-33a/b have been shown to act as post-transcriptional regulators of lipid metabolism, and their pharmacological inhibition diminished atherosclerosis by raising plasma high-density lipoprotein levels. This review summarizes the current understanding of the functions of miR-33a/b and the progress in miRNA therapeutics for treatment of various diseases, including atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: kohono@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Koh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ono
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: ABCA1; Antisense oligonucleotides; HDL-C; Plaque