Multifaceted and Diversified Roles of MicroRNAs in Health, Diseases and Death

Dear Colleagues,

MiRNA is a class of small (about 22 nt long) noncoding RNAs whose main function is in negative post-transcriptional and translational regulation of gene expression. Many of them show a differential expression in differentiation and disease and possess a heretofore unknown function. For example, lately, it was noted that MiRNAs are involved in the regulation of the circadian rhythm. In some patients with circadian rhythm disorders and in some neurodegenerative diseases, alterations of the brain MiRNAs, responsible for the sleep/wake cycle, were studied. It is thought that specific studies on these targets could also play a key role in the therapy of these neurodegenerative diseases.

MiRNA levels could also be used to identify pathophysiological conditions of disease and injury as well as the duration of agony or other premortem factors, which is why MiRNA has attracted increasing interest in crime scene investigation, too. Tissue-specific miRNAs can be used to determine the type of body fluid present in a crime scene stain, and they can also be used to assess wound vitality. Recent experimental studies have investigated the importance of MiRNAs in traumatic brain injury (TBI), as these biomarkers could be used for the identification of the anatomical region of brain damage and, consequently, the exact cause of death, also distinguishing mild from severe brain damage. Finally, even in cases of malpractice claims, such as in sepsis caused by hospital-acquired infections, MiRNAs are useful tools as potential sepsis biomarkers.

This Special Issue aims collect research articles and comprehensive reviews to offer an overview of the possible application of miRNA in pathophysiological conditions to develop strategies to treat or identify these diseases.

Dr. Massimiliano Esposito
Prof. Dr. Cristoforo Pomara
Guest Editors

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