Regulatory RNAs and cardiovascular disease - with a special focus on circulating microRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding regulatory RNA molecules which play an important role in intracellular communication and cell signaling and which influence cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and cellular death. Over the past two decades, the crucial role of microRNAs in controlling tissue homeostasis and disease in cardiovascular systems has become widely recognized. By controlling the expression levels of their targets, several miRNAs have been shown to modulate the function of endothelial cells (miR-221/222 and -126), vascular smooth muscle cells (miR-143/145) and macrophages (miR-33, -758, and -26), thereby regulating the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The stability of miRNAs within the blood suggests that circulating miRNAs may function as important biomarkers of disease development and progression. Numerous circulating miRNAs have been found to be dysregulated in a wide variety of different disease states, including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.