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ncRNAS in Therapeutics

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 21527

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Experimental Nephrology Lab, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, C/ Feixa Llarga s/n, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: molecular medicine; predictive medicine; personalized medicine; inflammation; ncRNAs
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Special Issue Information

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNA), either short or long, have revealed a regulatory potential that can be used in therapeutics. In this issue of IJMS, we will review current experiences for the treatment of diseases with therapeutic ncRNAs. We will pay special attention to some of the challenges that make the clinical use of therapeutic ncRNAs difficult, including the identification of the most efficient effectors and their stabilization to increase their half-life during treatments, with particular emphasis on their design and the inclusion of chemical modifications that interfere with their degradation. We are particularly interested in the specific targeted-delivery of therapeutic ncRNAs, as well as in the generation of unwanted off-target effects and the different approaches to reduce them. Lastly, we will also explore how ncRNAs could contribute to the development of personalized medicine. Therefore, we invite authors to communicate new research studies, but also reviews will be welcomed, for illuminating future research on this hot topic.

Dr. Miguel Hueso
Dr. Estanislao Navarro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • Noncoding RNAs
  • Structures
  • Delivery systems
  • Therapeutics
  • miRNAs
  • LncRNAs
  • Off-target effects
  • Personalized medicine
  • ncRNAs Networks

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 184 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial to the IJMS Special Issue on “ncRNAS in Therapeutics”
by Miguel Hueso and Estanis Navarro
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6448; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24076448 - 29 Mar 2023
Viewed by 759
Abstract
For many years, the RNA world of eukaryotic cells remained stable and predictable, organized by a few families of functionally different molecules [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)

Research

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14 pages, 7910 KiB  
Article
Circulating microRNAs as Potential Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers to Predict Drug Resistance in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Pilot Study
by Selene De Benedittis, Francesco Fortunato, Claudia Cava, Francesca Gallivanone, Enrico Iaccino, Maria Eugenia Caligiuri, Isabella Castiglioni, Gloria Bertoli, Ida Manna, Angelo Labate and Antonio Gambardella
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(2), 702; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22020702 - 12 Jan 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 2822
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have emerged as new potential epigenetic biomarkers. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of six circulating miRNA previously described in the literature as biomarkers for the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and/or as predictive biomarkers to [...] Read more.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have emerged as new potential epigenetic biomarkers. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of six circulating miRNA previously described in the literature as biomarkers for the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and/or as predictive biomarkers to antiepileptic drug response. We measured the differences in serum miRNA levels by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays in a cohort of 27 patients (14 women and 13 men; mean ± SD age: 43.65 ± 17.07) with TLE compared to 20 healthy controls (HC) matched for sex, age and ethnicity (11 women and 9 men; mean ± SD age: 47.5 ± 9.1). Additionally, patients were classified according to whether they had drug-responsive (n = 17) or drug-resistant (n = 10) TLE. We have investigated any correlations between miRNAs and several electroclinical parameters. Three miRNAs (miR-142, miR-146a, miR-223) were significantly upregulated in patients (expressed as average expression ± SD). In detail, miR-142 expression was 0.40 ± 0.29 vs. 0.16 ± 0.10 in TLE patients compared to HC (t-test, p < 0.01), miR-146a expression was 0.15 ± 0.11 vs. 0.07 ± 0.04 (t-test, p < 0.05), and miR-223 expression was 6.21 ± 3.65 vs. 1.23 ± 0.84 (t-test, p < 0.001). Moreover, results obtained from a logistic regression model showed the good performance of miR-142 and miR-223 in distinguishing drug-sensitive vs. drug-resistant TLE. The results of this pilot study give evidence that miRNAs are suitable targets in TLE and offer the rationale for further confirmation studies in larger epilepsy cohorts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)
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Review

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10 pages, 2006 KiB  
Review
Pros and Cons of In Vitro Methods for Circular RNA Preparation
by Kyung Hyun Lee, Seongcheol Kim and Seong-Wook Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13247; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232113247 - 31 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4199
Abstract
mRNA is gaining success as a new therapeutic agent and vaccine. However, mRNA has limitations in stability. To overcome the shortcomings of mRNA, circular RNA is emerging as a new modality. In this review, several current methods of manufacturing circular RNA in vitro [...] Read more.
mRNA is gaining success as a new therapeutic agent and vaccine. However, mRNA has limitations in stability. To overcome the shortcomings of mRNA, circular RNA is emerging as a new modality. In this review, several current methods of manufacturing circular RNA in vitro are introduced and their advantages and disadvantages are reviewed. Furthermore, this study discusses which fields and directions of research and development are needed for the increase in the efficacy and productivity of circular RNA as a therapeutic agent and vaccine formulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)
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15 pages, 6678 KiB  
Review
ncRNAs in Therapeutics: Challenges and Limitations in Nucleic Acid-Based Drug Delivery
by Miguel Hueso, Adrián Mallén, Marc Suñé-Pou, Josep M. Aran, Josep M. Suñé-Negre and Estanislao Navarro
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11596; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111596 - 27 Oct 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 2896
Abstract
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging therapeutic tools but there are barriers to their translation to clinical practice. Key issues concern the specificity of the targets, the delivery of the molecules, and their stability, while avoiding “on-target” and “off-target” side effects. In this “ncRNA [...] Read more.
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging therapeutic tools but there are barriers to their translation to clinical practice. Key issues concern the specificity of the targets, the delivery of the molecules, and their stability, while avoiding “on-target” and “off-target” side effects. In this “ncRNA in therapeutics” issue, we collect several studies of the differential expression of ncRNAs in cardiovascular diseases, bone metabolism-related disorders, neurology, and oncology, and their potential to be used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Moreover, we review recent advances in the use of antisense ncRNAs in targeted therapies with a particular emphasis on their basic biological mechanisms, their translational potential, and future trends. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)
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21 pages, 1385 KiB  
Review
Therapies Targeted at Non-Coding RNAs in Prevention and Limitation of Myocardial Infarction and Subsequent Cardiac Remodeling—Current Experience and Perspectives
by Michal Kowara, Sonia Borodzicz-Jazdzyk, Karolina Rybak, Maciej Kubik and Agnieszka Cudnoch-Jedrzejewska
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(11), 5718; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22115718 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3054
Abstract
Myocardial infarction is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide and is a main cause of heart failure. This disease appears as a final point of atherosclerotic plaque progression, destabilization, and rupture. As a consequence of cardiomyocytes death during the infarction, the [...] Read more.
Myocardial infarction is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide and is a main cause of heart failure. This disease appears as a final point of atherosclerotic plaque progression, destabilization, and rupture. As a consequence of cardiomyocytes death during the infarction, the heart undergoes unfavorable cardiac remodeling, which results in its failure. Therefore, therapies aimed to limit the processes of atherosclerotic plaque progression, cardiac damage during the infarction, and subsequent remodeling are urgently warranted. A hopeful therapeutic option for the future medicine is targeting and regulating non-coding RNA (ncRNA), like microRNA, circular RNA (circRNA), or long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). In this review, the approaches targeted at ncRNAs participating in the aforementioned pathophysiological processes involved in myocardial infarction and their outcomes in preclinical studies have been concisely presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)
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30 pages, 940 KiB  
Review
The Involvement of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Bone
by Cinzia Aurilia, Simone Donati, Gaia Palmini, Francesca Miglietta, Teresa Iantomasi and Maria Luisa Brandi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(8), 3909; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22083909 - 10 Apr 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 2855
Abstract
A harmonious balance between osteoblast and osteoclast activity guarantees optimal bone formation and resorption, pathological conditions affecting the bone may arise. In recent years, emerging evidence has shown that epigenetic mechanisms play an important role during osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis processes, including long non-coding [...] Read more.
A harmonious balance between osteoblast and osteoclast activity guarantees optimal bone formation and resorption, pathological conditions affecting the bone may arise. In recent years, emerging evidence has shown that epigenetic mechanisms play an important role during osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis processes, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). These molecules are a class of ncRNAs with lengths exceeding 200 nucleotides not translated into protein, that have attracted the attention of the scientific community as potential biomarkers to use for the future development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for several pathologies, including bone diseases. This review aims to provide an overview of the lncRNAs and their possible molecular mechanisms in the osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis processes. The deregulation of their expression profiles in common diseases associated with an altered bone turnover is also described. In perspective, lncRNAs could be considered potential innovative molecular biomarkers to help with earlier diagnosis of bone metabolism-related disorders and for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)
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26 pages, 1191 KiB  
Review
Could MicroRNAs Be Useful Tools to Improve the Diagnosis and Treatment of Rare Gynecological Cancers? A Brief Overview
by Riccardo Di Fiore, Sherif Suleiman, Francesca Pentimalli, Sharon A. O’Toole, John J. O’Leary, Mark P. Ward, Neil T. Conlon, Maja Sabol, Petar Ozretić, Ayse Elif Erson-Bensan, Nicholas Reed, Antonio Giordano, C. Simon Herrington and Jean Calleja-Agius
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(8), 3822; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22083822 - 07 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3627
Abstract
Gynecological cancers pose an important public health issue, with a high incidence among women of all ages. Gynecological cancers such as malignant germ-cell tumors, sex-cord-stromal tumors, uterine sarcomas and carcinosarcomas, gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, vulvar carcinoma and melanoma of the female genital tract, are [...] Read more.
Gynecological cancers pose an important public health issue, with a high incidence among women of all ages. Gynecological cancers such as malignant germ-cell tumors, sex-cord-stromal tumors, uterine sarcomas and carcinosarcomas, gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, vulvar carcinoma and melanoma of the female genital tract, are defined as rare with an annual incidence of <6 per 100,000 women. Rare gynecological cancers (RGCs) are associated with poor prognosis, and given the low incidence of each entity, there is the risk of delayed diagnosis due to clinical inexperience and limited therapeutic options. There has been a growing interest in the field of microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs of ∼22 nucleotides in length, because of their potential to regulate diverse biological processes. miRNAs usually induce mRNA degradation and translational repression by interacting with the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of target mRNAs, as well as other regions and gene promoters, as well as activating translation or regulating transcription under certain conditions. Recent research has revealed the enormous promise of miRNAs for improving the diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of all major gynecological cancers. However, to date, only a few studies have been performed on RGCs. In this review, we summarize the data currently available regarding RGCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue ncRNAS in Therapeutics)
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