Circulating MicroRNAs Link Inflammation to Impaired Wound Healing in Diabetes

Soon after their discovery in 1993, it became clear that microRNAs (miRs) regulate virtually all cellular processes.1 Since then, many miRs have been described to coordinate gene expression programs in the context of cardiovascular disease, including diabetes mellitus.2,3 MiRs usually perform their duties intracellularly, but interest in extracellular miRs as biomarkers or intercellular messengers has risen recently.4,5 In the cardiovascular system, it has been shown that miRs can travel between endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, cardiac fibroblasts, and cardiomyocytes, thereby affecting gene expression in recipient cells.6–8 Next to their role in intercellular communication, circulating miRs were also shown to be powerful biomarkers for various cardiovascular conditions.9–11 In this issue of ATVB , Dangwal et al12 show that miR-191 is both a circulating biomarker for type-2 diabetes mellitus and an intercellular messenger with a potent effect on wound …