snoRNAs and Its Potential Role in Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 肿瘤防治研究

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are non-coding RNAs in the nucleolus and are mainly responsible for the 2'-O-methylation and pseudouridine modification of rRNA. snoRNAs regulate various biological processes, such as tRNA modification, spliceosome snRNA modification, maintenance of the telomere structure, and alternative splicing of mRNA. Aberrant expression of snoRNA is related to cancer progression, and it may become a new target for cancer treatment. snoRNAs are stable and easy to detect in body fluids, so they can be used as a biomarker for clinical diagnosis and prognostic. This article reviews the biogenesis, classification, structure, and function of snoRNAs and introduces their potential role in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Correlation analysis of circular RNAs involved in liver injury in mice with autoimmune hepatitis / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:The pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis has not been clearly elucidated.Circular RNA(CircRNA)is a research hotspot in the field of RNA and is involved in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases.However,the role of CircRNA in autoimmune hepatitis remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship between CircRNA(CircRNA)and concanavalin A induced liver injury in mice with autoimmune hepatitis. METHODS:Bioinformatics analysis was performed on CircRNA profiles selected by previous microarray technology,including gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses,so as to explore the potential biological functions of these differentially expressed genes.Twelve C57BL/6 mice were randomized into normal group and model group(n=6 per group).Autoimmune hepatitis model was established by tail vein injection of concanavalin A in the model group.Mice were killed at 12 hours after modeling to extract mouse liver and peripheral blood.The expression levels of CircRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR.Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were detected by colorimetric method.The levels of oxidative stress indexes malondialdehyde and nitric oxide in mouse liver were detected by microplate method.The correlation between oxidative stress level and liver injury index was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The results of GO analysis showed that the target genes with up-regulated CircRNAs expression were mainly involved in the biological processes of SNARE complex assembly regulation(P=0.004),their molecular functions were mainly metal ion binding(P=0.000 29),and the cell components were mainly enriched in CORVET complex(P=0.075).The biological processes involved in the down-regulated circRNAs target genes were mainly"negative regulation of pancreatic secretion"(P=0.000 42),the molecular functions were mainly"transcriptional activator activity"(P=0.025),and the cell components were mainly enriched in"extracellular components"(P=0.006).KEGG results showed that the target genes with up-regulated CircRNAs expression were mainly enriched in the"base excision-repair"signaling pathways(P=0.026).Compared with the normal group,serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels and the levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide in mouse liver in the model group were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the normal group,the expression of two selected CircRNAs(mmu-circ-0001520 and mmu-circ-0001577)was increased in the model group(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression of mmu-circ-0001520 and mmu-circ-0001577 was positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,malondialdehyde and nitric oxide.To conclude,the differential expression of CircRNAs is correlated with liver injury in autoimmune hepatitis mice.mmu-circ-0001520 and mmu-circ-0001577 are expected to be diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for autoimmune hepatitis.

Identification of inflammatory response genes in ANCA-associated vasculitis by bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation / 安徽医科大学学报

Objective @#To explore the candidate genes and potential molecular mechanisms of anti -neutrophil cyto- plasmic antibodies ( ANCA) -associated vasculitis by bioinformatics and experimental validation , and to provide a scientific theoretical basis for the treatment of potential inflammatory targets for ANCA-associated vasculitis .@*Methods@#The GSE108109 chip data was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database , and the differential genes were processed , analyzed and screened using the R language related program package . Kyoto encyclo- pedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was carried out using DAVID online network cable , and the interaction network of the protein encoded by the selected genes of inflammatory syn- drome was constructed through STRING web site . Further endogenous competitive RNA ( ceRNA) regulatory net- work was predicted and constructed through miRWalk and DIANA-LncBase databases , and key genes were screened from the network to draw ROC curve . The renal biopsy samples of patients with ANCA-associated vasculi- tis confirmed by our hospital were collected as the experimental group , and the renal biopsy samples of IgA ne- phropathy and micro-adaptive nephropathy were collected as the control group . Immunohistochemical staining was performed on the collected renal biopsy samples , and the average optical density was calculated by semi -quantita- tive analysis of immunohistochemical staining to further verify the expression of the key genes screened by the bioin- formatics analysis . Pearson linear correlation analysis was performed between the average optical density results and the clinical inflammatory data of patients . @*Results @#846 differential genes were screened , of which 444 genes were significantly up-regulated and 402 genes were significantly down-regulated . Through KEGG and GO analysis , im- portant differentially expressed genes related to inflammation regulation were obtained . Among them , CSF1R and TNFRSF1B , two differentially expressed genes never reported in ANCA-associated vasculitis , attracted our atten- tion . At the same time , we constructed multiple ceRNA regulatory axes including KCNQ1OT1 -hsa-miR-125 a-5p- TNFRSF1B . There were 15 samples of ANCA-associated vasculitis , 6 samples of IgA nephropathy , and 3 samples of micropathological kidney . Immunohistochemical results of renal biopsy specimens showed that the expression of CSF1R and TNFRSF1B in ANCA-associated vasculitis kidney tissue was higher than that in the control group . Pearson correlation analysis of clinical data of patients in ANCA group showed that the expression of CSF1R was positively correlated with the content of neutrophil count ( r = 0. 587) , and the expression of TNFRSF1B was posi- tively correlated with the content of serum C -reactive protein ( r = 0. 646) . @*Conclusion @#Key genes related to in- flammatory regulation such as CSF1R and TNFRSF1B were investigated by bioinformatics methods , and a rigorous ceRNA regulatory network was constructed . The expression of CSF1R and TNFRSF1B in ANCA vasculitis was high- er than that in the control group through immunohistochemistry . The results provides a scientific theoretical basis for the molecular mechanism of inflammation , and laid a good foundation for new therapeutic targets of ANCA-related vasculitis for inflammation .

Research progress on non-coding small RNA in oral submucosal fibrosis / 口腔疾病防治

@#Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is one of the most common precancerous lesions of the oral mucosa, and its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Small noncoding RNAs (SncRNAs), a class of RNA molecules that do not code for proteins, have been widely reported to be involved in the regulation of a variety of human diseases. An increasing number of studies have shown that a variety of SncRNAs play important roles in the pathogenesis of OSF. Current studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in OSF disease progression by regulating the expression of related transcription factors and genes or epithelial mesenchymal transformation to regulate the activation of fibroblasts (FBs). Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that transform growth factor-β/suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic (TGF-β/Smad) signaling pathways or interact with miRNAs are involved in the development of OSF. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a role in OSF by interacting with miRNAs. tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are involved in the progression of various fibrotic diseases, but their specific mechanism of action in OSF still needs to be further explored. In the future, it is still necessary to focus on the targets of SncRNAs mediating OSF progression and explore their function and molecular mechanism in OSF to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of OSF.

The Roles of Small Extracellular Vesicles and Small Extracellular Vesicles-derived Non-coding RNA in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a kind of exsomes secreted by cells, which all cells release them as part of their normal physiology and during acquired abnormalities. EVs can be broadly divided into two categories by their sizes, small EVs (sEVs) and medium/large EVs (m/l EVs). As a kind of extracellular vesicle, sEVs are mostly discoid vesicles with diameters ranging from 40 nm to 200 nm. The medium/large EVs are elliptical with a diameter more than 200 nm. sEVs play a crucial role in intercellular communication and have emerged as important mediators in the development and progression of liver diseases. In this review, we discussed the current understanding of the role of sEVs, particularly sEV derived non-coding RNA in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. sEVs are small membrane-bound particles secreted by cells, which fuse with plasma membrane and release to extracellular matrix. Depending on the cell of origin, sEVs could contain many cell constituents, including various DNA, RNA, lipids, metabolites, and cytosolic and cell-surface proteins, biomolecules. In addition, many RNA and DNA molecules contained by sEVs, such as mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), can be transferred to recipient cells to effectively promote their biological response, physiological and pathological functions. Such sEVs-mediated responses can be disease promoting or restraining. The intrinsic properties of sEVs in regulating complex intracellular pathways has advanced their potential utility in the therapeutic control of many diseases. Recent studies reviewed here also indicate a functional, targeted, mechanism-driven accumulation of specific cellular components in sEVs, suggesting that they have a role in regulating intercellular communication. Many studies have also shown the involvement of sEVs’ noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in controlling cell activities and their crucial functions in regulating lipid metabolism. sEVs ncRNAs, including miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate physiological functions and maintain lipid metabolism homeostasis. miRNA are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression by repressing messenger RNA-targets. These circulating miRNAs are easily accessible, disease-specific and sensitive to small changes, which makes them ideal biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic, predictive or monitoring purposes. Specific miRNA signatures can be reflective of disease status and development or indicators of poor treatment response in liver diseases. And lncRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression by interacting with transcription factors or chromatin-modifying enzymes, which regulate gene expression by binding to target mRNAs. Then circRNAs contributed to NAFLD progression by acting as miRNA sponges, functional protein sponges, or novel templates for protein translation. Finally, sEVs could be engineered to deliver diverse therapeutic payloads, including short interfering RNAs, antisense oligonucleotides and so on, with an ability to direct their delivery to a desired target. The potential of targeting sEVs with lncRNAs and miRNAs not only could be potential diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD, but also have potential therapeutic effects on NAFLD, which might provide new ideas for the NAFLD treatment. In conclusion, this review provides an overview of the current understanding of the roles of sEVs ncRNAs in NAFLD, so we suggest that further research into sEVs could lead to new diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.

Circular RNAs Involved in The Development of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a kind of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) with covalent closed-loop structure. They have attracted more and more attention because of their high stability, evolutionary conservatism, and tissue expression specificity. It has shown that circRNAs are involved in the development of a variety of diseases including malignant tumors recently. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor that occurs in the nasopharynx and has a unique ethnic and geographical distribution in South China and Southeast Asia. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is closely related to the development of NPC. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the mainstays of treatment for NPC. But tumor recurrence or distant metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with NPC. Several studies have shown that circRNAs, as gene expression regulators, play an important role in NPC and affect the progression of NPC. This review mainly summarized the research status of abnormally expressed circRNAs in NPC and EBV-encoded circRNAs. We also discussed the possibility of circRNAs as a therapeutic target, diagnostic and prognostic marker for NPC.

Roles of Long Noncoding RNAs and Glycolysis in Digestive System Tumors / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

Long noncoding RNAs （LncRNAs）， a class of noncoding RNAs greater than 200 bases in length， are widely involved in the initiation， progression and glycolytic processes of many tumors， and can act as competitive endogenous RNA sponges to absorb miRNAs. LncRNAs can also inhibit miRNA expression， thereby regulate the glycolysis of tumor cells， affects cell proliferation， invasion and other biological activities. This review explores the roles of LncRNAs and glycolysis in digestive system tumors （DST）， a representative group of malignant tumors. Extending the LncRNA role in the diagnosis， treatment and prognosis of other tumors， we conclude that LncRNAs have the potential to be new candidate genes for tumorigenesis and serve as tumor biomarkers， which provides new insight into morbidity and mortality decrease of DST and other tumors.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment, Gua Sha, can Induce Subtle Molecular Changes in Gene Expression / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#Here, we explored molecular changes that could potentially mediate healing effects of Gua Sha - a method employed by the Chinese traditional medicine with proven track records of safe and efficient applications dating back to ancient times as well as support from randomized controlled trials performed by modern medical studies - yet remaining almost entirely unexplored by the modern-day high-throughput methods of the -omics sciences.@*METHODS@#We investigated transcriptome changes occurring shortly after Gua Sha treatment in the whole blood of healthy volunteers using bulk RNA-seq analysis. We applied various analytical tools to identify genes with consistent expression changes in multiple individuals in response to Gua Sha and their networks.@*RESULTS@#We found that while the changes were very subtle and individual-specific, we could identify consistent upregulation of three histone genes. Further analysis of the potential regulatory networks of these histone genes revealed the enrichment of functions involved in the immune response and inflammation.@*CONCLUSION@#The significance of these results in the context of potential effects of Gua Sha and the next steps in exploring the molecular mechanisms of action of this technique are discussed.

The critical importance of epigenetics in autoimmune-related skin diseases / 医学前沿

Autoimmune-related skin diseases are a group of disorders with diverse etiology and pathophysiology involved in autoimmunity. Genetics and environmental factors may contribute to the development of these autoimmune disorders. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of these disorders are poorly understood, environmental variables that induce aberrant epigenetic regulations may provide some insights. Epigenetics is the study of heritable mechanisms that regulate gene expression without changing DNA sequences. The most important epigenetic mechanisms are DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNAs. In this review, we discuss the most recent findings regarding the function of epigenetic mechanisms in autoimmune-related skin disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus, bullous skin diseases, psoriasis, and systemic sclerosis. These findings will expand our understanding and highlight the possible clinical applications of precision epigenetics approaches.

Progress on the role of circRNAs in lung development / 国际儿科学杂志

Many circular RNAs(circRNAs)have been discovered and identified as noncoding RNA in various organisms in a specie-, tissue-, disease-and developmental stage-specific manner, and have been demonstrated to play essential roles in myriad life processes, such as embryo and tissue development, aging, insulin secretion, vascular disease and cancer.The normal development of lung morphology, structure and function is the physiological basis of breath.Accumulating evidences have been demonstrated that circRNAs might be involved in lung development and play important roles in lung development and related diseases like bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD).This review will summarize the biological functions of circRNAs and focus particularly on the potential implications of circRNAs in lung development and BPD.

Progress of researches on the role and mechanisms of non - coding RNA in Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a food-borne zoonotic parasite, and human infection may cause eosinophilic meningitis. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may regulate physiological and pathological processes at multiple biological levels; however, there are few studies pertaining to the regulatory role of ncRNAs in A. cantonensis infection. Based on publications retrieved from PubMed, Wanfang Data and CNKI, the regulatory role of ncRNAs in A. cantonensis infections mainly includes immune responses, cell apoptosis and signaling transduction, and ncRNAs may serve as biomarkers for diagnosis of angiostrongyliasis. This review summarizes the main roles of ncRNAs in A. cantonensis infections and the underlying mechanisms, so as to provide insights into diagnosis and treatment of angiostrongyliasis.

Regulation of muscle mass by microRNAs / 体力科学

Skeletal muscle is a vital tissue not only for maintaining posture and body movements but also for energy metabolism in human body. Skeletal muscle is highly plastic in response to various stimuli, resistance exercise or anabolic hormones can increase muscle mass, which is termed “muscle hypertrophy”. Contrary, immobility, aging and severe illness can reduce muscle mass, which is termed “muscle atrophy”. Loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with loss of independent living, the morbidity of a variety of diseases and mortality throughout life. Therefore, understanding mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle mass is essential for improving the quality of life. Recent studies reported microRNAs (miRNAs), which is a class of non-coding RNAs, play a crucial role in the regulation of muscle mass. This review provides a current understanding of the function of miRNAs in regulation of skeletal muscle mass.

Roles of exosome-derived non-coding RNA in tumor micro-environment and its clinical application / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Tumor-derived exosomes play an important role in the tumor micro-environment. The exosome-derived non-coding RNAs are transmitted in the tumor microenvironment in three ways, communication between tumor cells, normal cells affecting tumor cells, and tumor cells affecting normal cells. Through these three ways, exosomal non-coding RNAs are involved in the regulation of tumor progression, affecting tumor angiogenesis, tumor invasiveness, drug resistance, stemness, tumor metabolic repro-gramming and immune escape, resulting in dual roles in promoting or inhibiting tumor development. Exosomes have a membranous structure and their contents are resistant to degradation by extracellular proteases and remain highly stable in body fluids, thus exosome-derived non-coding RNAs are expected to serve as diagnostic and prognostic indicators for a variety of cancers. In addition, exosomes can be used to deliver non-coding RNAs for targeted therapy, or to knock down or modify tumor-promoting non-coding RNAs for tumor therapy. This article reviews the function and communication mechanism of exosomal non-coding RNAs in the tumor microenvironment, including their pathways of action, effects, potential values for tumor biomarkers and treatment targets. This article also points out the issues that need to be further studied in order to promote the progress of extracellular non-coding RNAs in cancer research and their application in tumor diagnosis and treatment.

Construction of genomic instability⁃associated LncRNA models to predict prognosis and cisplatin sensitivity in colon cancer patients / 安徽医科大学学报

Objective @#To explore whether the long⁃chain noncoding RNA associated with genomic instability in colon cancer can predict clinical prognosis and therapeutic.@*Methods @#The R package " limma" was used for differential analysis , and the prognostic risk model was constructed by univariate Cox analysis and multivariate Cox proportional risk regression analysis. The difference in prognosis was evaluated by Kaplan⁃Meier method , and the difference was significant by log⁃rank test. The efficiency of the prognostic model was evaluated using a time⁃dependent area under the subject operating characteristic curve (AUC) . The R package“ pRRophetic ”was used to predict the sensitivity of patients to anticancer drugs. R software package rms was used to build a line graph , and the consistency index of the line graph was calculated. Real⁃time quantitative PCR was used to detect the difference in the expression levels of prognostic protective factors. @*Results @#A total of 22 LncRNAs associated with genomic instabili⁃y in patients with prognosis were obtained , 2 were protective factors for prognosis in patients with colon cancer, and 20 were risk factors for prognosis. A prognosis model composed of LncRNAs associated with genomic instability was constructed , and patients with high risk scores had lower AUCs and shorter median survival. The five⁃year survival AUC predicted by the model was 0. 823 in the training set , 0. 722 in the validation set , and 0. 759 in the overall TCGA colon cancer patient population. Patients with low risk scores had lower half inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) of cisplatin and higher sensitivity (P < 0. 000 1) . The expression of prognostic protective factors in colon cancer tissues was significantly lower than that in adjacent colon cancer tissues. @*Conclusion @#A prognostic risk model composed of 8 LncRNAs associated with genomic instability was constructed and verified. In addition , the model can also predict cisplatin drug sensitivity. A histogram was constructed combining the tumor stage and the prognosis model. The predictive ability of this graph for five⁃year survival of colon cancer patients is better than that of traditional histopathological features and prognostic models constructed by predecessors.

The possibility of early diagnosis of colorectal cancer through expression of Lncrna UCA1, Lncrna LINC00970, and Wnt genes; an in-vitro study

Colorectal cancer is the 4thcause of cancer death; with considering the growth process of this cancer and the necessity of early diagnosis, the purpose of the research is to state the LncRNA 00970, LncRNA UCAI,and the Wntgene before and after the treatment by 5-Azacytidine epigenetic medicine, to reach the biomarker in the very first steps of colorectal cancer. In this experiment, the human colon cancer cell line (HT29) treated with different concentrations of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) was utilized to induce DNA demethylation; Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to measure LncRNA UCA1and LncRNA LINC00970 and Wntexpression. There was a significant relationship between the expression of LncRNA 00970, LncRNA UCAI,and the Wntgene and its effects on colorectal (p < 0.05). The Wntgene was treated by 1 and 10 of 5-Azacytidine epigenetic medicine, which then experienced decreases. In LncRNA UCAI and LncRNA00970 in dose 1 micromolar of 5-Azacytidine had decrement and increment of expressionrespectively that explains their efficiency but in treatment by dose 10 mM of this medicine, no significant LncRNA expression difference was detected, 5-azacitidine has a direct impact on its target genes and LncRNAs.Therefore, it can be used in the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Paternal environmental exposure-induced spermatozoal small noncoding RNA alteration meditates the intergenerational epigenetic inheritance of multiple diseases / 医学前沿

Studies of human and mammalian have revealed that environmental exposure can affect paternal health conditions as well as those of the offspring. However, studies that explore the mechanisms that meditate this transmission are rare. Recently, small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) in sperm have seemed crucial to this transmission due to their alteration in sperm in response to environmental exposure, and the methodology of microinjection of isolated total RNA or sncRNAs or synthetically identified sncRNAs gradually lifted the veil of sncRNA regulation during intergenerational inheritance along the male line. Hence, by reviewing relevant literature, this study intends to answer the following research concepts: (1) paternal environmental factors that can be passed on to offspring and are attributed to spermatozoal sncRNAs, (2) potential role of paternal spermatozoal sncRNAs during the intergenerational inheritance process, and (3) the potential mechanism by which spermatozoal sncRNAs meditate intergenerational inheritance. In summary, increased attention highlights the hidden wonder of spermatozoal sncRNAs during intergenerational inheritance. Therefore, in the future, more studies should focus on the origin of RNA alteration, the target of RNA regulation, and how sncRNA regulation during embryonic development can be sustained even in adult offspring.

Accurate quantification of 3'-terminal 2'-O-methylated small RNAs by utilizing oxidative deep sequencing and stem-loop RT-qPCR / 医学前沿

The continuing discoveries of novel classes of RNA modifications in various organisms have raised the need for improving sensitive, convenient, and reliable methods for quantifying RNA modifications. In particular, a subset of small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), are modified at their 3'-terminal nucleotides via 2'-O-methylation. However, quantifying the levels of these small RNAs is difficult because 2'-O-methylation at the RNA 3'-terminus inhibits the activity of polyadenylate polymerase and T4 RNA ligase. These two enzymes are indispensable for RNA labeling or ligation in conventional miRNA quantification assays. In this study, we profiled 3'-terminal 2'-O-methyl plant miRNAs in the livers of rice-fed mice by oxidative deep sequencing and detected increasing amounts of plant miRNAs with prolonged oxidation treatment. We further compared the efficiency of stem-loop and poly(A)-tailed RT-qPCR in quantifying plant miRNAs in animal tissues and identified stem-loop RT-qPCR as the only suitable approach. Likewise, stem-loop RT-qPCR was superior to poly(A)-tailed RT-qPCR in quantifying 3'-terminal 2'-O-methyl piRNAs in human seminal plasma. In summary, this study established a standard procedure for quantifying the levels of 3'-terminal 2'-O-methyl miRNAs in plants and piRNAs. Accurate measurement of the 3'-terminal 2'-O-methylation of small RNAs has profound implications for understanding their pathophysiologic roles in biological systems.

Advances in the role of natural products in human gene expression / 中国天然药物

Natural products (NPs), especially those from traditional herbal medicines, can evidently modulate human gene expression at multiple levels, leading to a wide diversity of bioactivities. Although numerous bio-functions of NPs for human body have been found, there is little understanding about how NPs achieve it, as less attention was drawn to the definite mechnism by which NPs regulate gene expression. Furthermore, based on the rapidly advancing knowledge of mechanisms for gene regulation in recent years, newly-understood mechanisms, such as post-transcriptional regulation, are found to be involved in NP-elicited bio-effects, providing a new perspective on understanding the role of NPs in gene expression. Therefore, in the current review, we summarize the function of NPs in gene expression from the perspectives of transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational regulation, which will reinforce the understanding of NP-induced effects in gene expression and facilitate the exploration of more NPs with potential therapeutic effects.

Research progress of lncRNA regulating miRNA in osteoarthritis / 中国综合临床

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which are thought to regulate articular cartilage through endochondral osteogenesis, consist of mRNA-interfering complementary RNA (miRNA) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA). More and more experimental evidence reveals the role of ncRNAs in chondrocyte differentiation and the pathogenesis of several skeletal diseases, including osteoarthritis. In the past few years, increasingly sophisticated DNA sequencing methods and a large number of sepigenetic modifications have greatly contributed to our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of osteoarthritis. Recent studies have revealed that RNA interacts with RNA-binding proteins, regulates gene transcription and protein translation, and is involved in various pathological processes in OA, promising to be a therapeutic target for osteoarthritis.

Roles and mechanisms of circular RNAs in lung diseases caused by environmental exposure / 环境与职业医学

Environmental exposure is an important factor in the occurrence and development of various lung diseases. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNA molecules, which are widely expressed in eukaryotes, and have been proved to play an important role in the occurrence and progression of a variety of human diseases. Studies have shown that circRNAs are closely related to various lung diseases, and have been used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of some lung diseases. This review briefly described the physiological functions and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs, and summarized the regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs in lung diseases caused by environmental exposure, in order to provide new ideas for the research and application in related fields in the future.