MicroRNAs and cardiovascular medicine

Abstract

MicroRNAs are non-coding RNA sequences that act as regulators of gene expression. They are aberrantly expressed in many pathological conditions. Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Various knock-in and knockdown approaches have shown abnormal signature patterns of microRNAs in cardiovascular conditions like cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmias and vascular proliferative diseases. Since a single microRNA targets many genes, modulating a single microRNA involved in a disease carries a possible risk of undesirable side effects. The review focuses on current understanding of microRNAs in cardiovascular conditions, the possible underlying mechanisms and various approaches of modulating microRNAs. © The Author(s) 2014.