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The Ins and Outs of miRNAs as Biomarkers, 2nd Edition
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The Ins and Outs of miRNAs as Biomarkers, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "RNA".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 2807

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Iacomino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, ISA-CNR, Via Roma, 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: microRNA; epigenomics; transciptomics; obesity; food related diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fabio Lauria

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: microRNAs; GWA; SNPs; metabolic diseases; obesity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, substantial progress has been made in studying the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of diseases. miRNAs are relevant components of the cellular epigenetic machinery that act as specific gene silencers by base pairing to a target mRNA. miRNAs have emerged as body homeostasis peacekeepers, playing critical roles in the pathology of a variety of disorders, including cancer.

miRNAs are also basic regulators of metabolic processes that participate in maintaining energy balance and metabolic homeostasis. The dysregulation of miRNAs has been established to reflect the condition and functions of various tissues and organs, probably contributing to their abnormalities.

The discovery of circulating miRNAs in plasma and other bodily fluids has emphasized their potential as relevant intercellular signalling molecules and disease indicators. In addition, clinical trial data have predicted both anti-miR and miR-mimic compounds as a new class of drugs for therapeutic applications in next-generation medicine, and numerous biopharmaceuticals companies are currently involved in this opportunity.

The diagnosis and prognostic potential of miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers has been advised either as individual biomarkers or in combination. Inconsistencies found between different studies could be explained, at least in part, by differences in extraction and identification procedures, experimental setup, and data processing, thus pointing to the importance of developing well-standardized protocols and operative guidelines.

In this context, all kinds of studies related to miRNAs as biomarkers are of interest to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Iacomino
Dr. Fabio Lauria
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circulating miRNAs
  • exosome miRNAs
  • blood-derived miRNAs
  • saliva miRNAs
  • urine miRNAs
  • role in diagnosis and prognosis
  • disease biomarkers
  • theranostic biomarkers
  • cancer biomarkers
  • obesity/weight loss
  • diabetes
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • metabolic syndrome
  • aberrant miRNAs expression
  • anti-miR/miR-mimics
  • methods for miRNAs quantification
  • methods for miRNAs data analysis

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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12 pages, 7364 KiB  
Article
Identification and Verification of Candidate miRNA Biomarkers with Application to Infection with Emiliania huxleyi Virus
by Enquan Zhang, Shumiao Zhang, Guiling Li, Zhengxiao Zhang and Jingwen Liu
Genes 2023, 14(9), 1716; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14091716 - 28 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1618
Abstract
The interactions of Emiliania huxleyi and its specific lytic virus (EhV) have a profound influence on marine biogeochemical carbon–sulfur cycles and play a prominent role in global climate change. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising candidates with extensive diagnostic potential due to their [...] Read more.
The interactions of Emiliania huxleyi and its specific lytic virus (EhV) have a profound influence on marine biogeochemical carbon–sulfur cycles and play a prominent role in global climate change. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising candidates with extensive diagnostic potential due to their role in virus–host interactions. However, the application of miRNA signatures as diagnostic markers in marine viral infection has made limited progress. Based on our previous small-RNA sequencing data, one host miRNA biomarker that is upregulated in early infection and seven viral miRNA biomarkers that are upregulated in late infection were identified and verified using qRT-PCR and a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in pure culture, mixed culture, and natural seawater culture. The host ehx-miR20-5p was able to significantly differentiate infection groups from the control in the middle (24 h post-infection, hpi) and late infection (48 hpi) phases, while seven virus-derived miRNA biomarkers could diagnose the early and late stages of EhV infection. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these miRNAs participated in numerous essential metabolic pathways, including gene transcription and translation, cell division-related pathways, protein-degradation-related processes, and lipid metabolism. Additionally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the targeted relationship between a viral ehv-miR7-5p and the host dihydroceramide desaturase gene (hDCD). This finding suggests that the virus-derived miRNA has the ability to inhibit the host sphingolipid metabolism, which is a specific characteristic of EhV infection during the late stage. Our data revealed a cluster of potential miRNA biomarkers with significant regulatory functions that could be used to diagnose EhV infection, which has implications for assessing the infectious activity of EhV in a natural marine environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ins and Outs of miRNAs as Biomarkers, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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Review
Circulating microRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: A Narrative Review
by Francisca Villagrán-Silva, Pía Loren, Cristian Sandoval, Fernando Lanas and Luis A. Salazar
Genes 2025, 16(3), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16030349 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 656
Abstract
In an obesogenic environment, such as the one we have been experiencing in recent decades, epigenetics provides answers to the relationship between hereditary and environmentally acquired patterns that have significantly contributed to the global rise in obesity prevalence. MicroRNA (miRNA) constitutes a diminutive [...] Read more.
In an obesogenic environment, such as the one we have been experiencing in recent decades, epigenetics provides answers to the relationship between hereditary and environmentally acquired patterns that have significantly contributed to the global rise in obesity prevalence. MicroRNA (miRNA) constitutes a diminutive non-coding small RNA molecule, 20 to 24 nucleotides in length, that functions as a regulator of gene regulation at the post-translational level. Circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) have been detected in multiple body fluids, including blood, plasma, serum, saliva, milk from breastfeeding mothers, and urine. These molecules hold significant therapeutic value and serve as extracellular biomarkers in metabolic diseases. They aid in the diagnosis and tracking of therapy responses, as well as dietary and physical habit modifications. Researchers have studied c-miRNAs as potential biomarkers for diagnosing and characterizing systemic diseases in people of all ages and backgrounds since then. These conditions encompass dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular risk, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. This review therefore analyzes the usefulness of c-miRNAs as therapeutic markers over the past decades. It also provides an update on c-miRNAs associated with general obesity and overweight, as well as with the most prevalent pathologies in the adult population. It also examines the effect of different nutritional approaches and physical activity regarding the activity of miRNAs in circulation in adults with overweight or general obesity. All of this is done with the aim of evaluating their potential use as biomarkers in various research contexts related to overweight and obesity in adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ins and Outs of miRNAs as Biomarkers, 2nd Edition)
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