MicroRNAs in Human Placental Development and Pregnancy Complications

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Guodong Fu¹  Jelena Brkić¹  Heyam Hayder¹ 

[1] Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada;

关键词: microRNA;    human placenta;    proliferation;    migration;    invasion;    angiogenesis;    preeclampsia;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms14035519

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which function as critical posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression by promoting mRNA degradation and translational inhibition. Placenta expresses many ubiquitous as well as specific miRNAs. These miRNAs regulate trophoblast cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion/migration, and angiogenesis, suggesting that miRNAs play important roles during placental development. Aberrant miRNAs expression has been linked to pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia. Recent research of placental miRNAs focuses on identifying placental miRNA species, examining differential expression of miRNAs between placentas from normal and compromised pregnancies, and uncovering the function of miRNAs in the placenta. More studies are required to further understand the functional significance of miRNAs in placental development and to explore the possibility of using miRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for pregnancy-related disorders. In this paper, we reviewed the current knowledge about the expression and function of miRNAs in placental development, and propose future directions for miRNA studies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.