Regulation of miRNA/RNAi Pathway and Human Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Although small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), endo-small interference RNAs (esiRNAs), and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), account for only a minor fraction of the expressed genome, they have been recognized as important regulators of genes and the genome at post-transcriptional levels, functioning as RNA interference (RNAi) to regulate a wide range of metabolic pathways. Consequently, they significantly contribute to the regulation of reproduction, regeneration, growth, development and aging of organisms, particularly in mammals, and to the pathogenesis of many diseases such as neurological disorders, oncogenesis, heart/kidney diseases, etc.

Although the approximate number of ncRNAs encoded within the mammalian genome has not be determined, recent transcriptomic and bioinformatic studies have predicted the existence of a large quantity of ncRNAs in the human genome. Moreover, many of the new ncRNA species play essentially regulatory roles at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels via various molecular mechanisms epigenetically.

Following the identification of the major components within the RNAi/miRNA pathway, some protein co-factors have been characterized to play essential roles in the activity regulation of the RNAi/miRNA pathway in the last few years, suggesting that any regulators must be tightly regulated.

This Special Issue will focus on non-coding RNA, particularly miRNAs and piRNAs, while other small RNAs such as circRNAs are also included, due to their extensive functional characterization and emerging interest in their role in stubborn diseases, such as neurological disorders and cancers.

We invite investigators in the field of ncRNAs particularly miRNAs, and piRNAs, circRNAs, lncRNAs, and the ncRNAs-mediated diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiac diseases, hematological diseases, and cancers, to contribute original research articles as well as review articles. The potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Bioinformatic and transcriptomic tools for the identification and characterization of the new ncRNAs, particularly miRNA, esiRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in model and non-model organisms.
• Distribution and characterization of ncRNAs in the transcriptomes among model and non-model organisms.
• Identification of new components such as the protein co-factors that regulate the activity of the RNAi/miRNA pathway.
• Regulation functions and mechanisms of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in a wide range of metabolic pathways
• Potential links between the aberrant expression levels of ncRNAs and the pathogenesis of some stubborn diseases including cancer, neurological disorders, heart/kidney diseases, etc.
• Recent developments of the aberrant alteration of ncRNAs as a criteria for the diagnosis of cancers, neurological diseases, and other genetic diseases.
• Clinic application of the ncRNAs serving as drug targets for the therapy of cancer, neurological diseases, etc.
• Epitranscriptome modifications of lncRNAs and reproduction, regeneration, growth, development, and aging.

Dr. Yujing Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• non-coding RNA
• human disease
• epigenetics
• genomics
• circRNA
• lncRNA
• miRNA
• bioinformatics
• pathogenesis