Cardiac Regeneration and microRNAs: Regulators of Pluripotency, Reprogramming, and Cardiovascular Lineage Commitment

Abstract

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a small class of ~22 nucleotide long RNAs, which control gene expression through repression of mRNA translation and induction of mRNA decay. One miRNA can potentially target up to several hundred mRNAs, which makes miRNAs powerful regulators of gene expression patterns rather than single genes. miRNAs are involved in almost every biological process, including self-renewal, pluripotency, reprogramming, and differentiation, and are therefore proposed to represent useful tools for regeneration. In this chapter, the biogenesis and function of miRNAs will be described, as well as their role in maintenance of self-renewal and pluripotency, reprogramming of somatic cells, and cardiac differentiation. Understanding the role of miRNAs during generation of iPS cells, cardiac differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells and pluripotent stem cells, and reprogramming of somatic cells, will help develop safe and efficient therapies for cardiac regeneration.