Mitochondria-Associated Non-Coding RNAs
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2026) | Viewed by 522
Special Issue Editors
Interests: molecular biology of cancer; non-coding RNAs; mitochondrial transfer; human and veterinarian applications of non-coding mitochondrial RNA targets; microRNAs
Interests: cancer; mitochondrial RNA; untranslated RNA; antisense RNA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: obesity; cardiovascular health; muscle cell biology; mitochondrial DNA; microRNA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Historically considered as the cell’s power plant, mitochondria have emerged as central players in a myriad of key roles besides providing the bulk of cellular ATP. These organelles fulfill an essential role in apoptosis, homeostasis, innate immunity, amino acid metabolism, phospholipid synthesis, and redox homeostasis, among others. The human mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) encodes 2 rRNAs (16S and 12S), 22 tRNAs, and 13 polypeptides involved in oxidative phosphorylation. The remaining proteins essential to mitochondrial function are encoded in the nuclear genome and imported post-translationally into the organelle, which is the result of gene transference from the ancestral prokaryote that gave rise to mitochondria to the nucleus, according to the endosymbiotic theory. Thus, communication between mitochondria and the nucleus has been occurring throughout evolution for billions of years. However, we now know that this trafficking among organelles also includes non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) to and from the mitochondria, fulfilling a wide array of cellular functions. Several of these transcripts are synthesized in mitochondria and exported to other organelles, including long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs). Conversely, lncRNAs, miRNAs, and circRNAs derived from nuclear transcription have been reported to enter mitochondria. Finally, some nuclear-encoded lncRNAs have been described to modulate mitochondrial functions without actually entering the organelle. Regardless of their origin, ncRNAs associated with mitochondria (mt-ncRNAs) are involved in several processes, such as oxidative phosphorylation, cell death and survival, mtDNA replication, and mitochondrial gene expression. In line with these functions, mt-ncRNAs are reported to be involved in aging, cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, among others. Therefore, dysregulation of these transcripts can trigger different pathophysiological processes, and thus mt-ncRNAs are currently under study as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The dissection of the different pathways affected by mt-ncRNAs will lay the groundwork for the development of potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for different human pathologies. This Special Issue aims to garner knowledge on the role of mt-ncRNAs involved in the regulation of mitochondrial functions and extra-mitochondrial processes.
Dr. Verónica A. Burzio
Dr. Jaime E. Villegas
Dr. Sam Das
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- mitochondrial-encoded ncRNAs
- mitochondrial miRNAs
- mitochondrial lncRNAs
- mitochondrial circRNAs
- nuclear-encoded mitochondrial ncRNAs
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