MicroRNA Function in the Profibrogenic Interplay upon Chronic Liver Disease

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Jia Huang¹  Xiaojie Yu¹  Jochen W. U. Fries¹  Li𠆚ng Zhang¹ 

[1] Institute for Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne 50924, Germany; E-Mails:

关键词: liver fibrosis;    myofibroblastic transition;    TGF-β;    miRNA;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms15069360

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In chronic liver disease leading to fibrosis, hepatic stellate cells (HSC) differentiate into myofibroblasts. Myofibroblastic HSC have taken center stage during liver fibrogenesis, due to their remarkable synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins, their secretion of profibrogenic mediators and their contribution to hypertension, due to elevated contractility. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules of 19–24 nucleotides in length. By either RNA interference or inhibition of translational initiation and elongation, each miRNA is able to inhibit the gene expression of a wide panel of targeted transcripts. Recently, it was shown that altered miRNA patterns after chronic liver disease highly affect the progression of fibrosis by their potential to target the expression of extracellular matrix proteins and the synthesis of mediators of profibrogenic pathways. Here, we underline the role of miRNAs in the interplay of the profibrogenic cell communication pathways upon myofibroblastic differentiation of hepatic stellate cells in the chronically injured liver.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.