Open AccessRole of Microrna-7 in Liver Diseases: A Comprehensive Review of the Mechanisms and Therapeutic Applications
Author(s) -
Shiyu Han,
Ting Zhang,
Praveen Kusumanchi,
Nazmul Huda,
Yanchao Jiang,
Suthat Liangpunsakul,
Zhihong Yang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of investigative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.879
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1708-8267
pISSN - 1081-5589
DOI - 10.1136/jim-2020-001420
Subject(s) - microrna , biology , metastasis , mechanism (biology) , hepatocellular carcinoma , cancer research , pathogenesis , suppressor , dicer , inflammation , bioinformatics , gene , rna , rna interference , immunology , cancer , genetics , philosophy , epistemology
MicroRNA-7 (miR-7) is a small non-coding RNA, which plays critical roles in regulating gene expression of multiple key cellular processes. MiR-7 exhibits a tissue-specific pattern of expression, with abundant levels found in the brain, spleen, and pancreas. Although it is expressed at lower levels in other tissues, including the liver, miR-7 is involved in both the development of organs and biological functions of cells. In this review, we focus on the mechanisms by which miR-7 controls cell growth, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, metabolism, and inflammation. We also summarize the specific roles of miR-7 in liver diseases. MiR-7 is considered as a tumor suppressor miRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma and is involved in the pathogenesis of hepatic steatosis and hepatitis. Future studies to further define miR-7 functions and its mechanism in association with other types of liver diseases should be explored. An improved understanding from these studies will provide us a useful perspective leading to mechanism-based intervention by targeting miR-7 for the treatment of liver diseases.