非编码RNAs的新角色

  我们机体中大约70%的基因都可以为生物活性分子提供一定的蓝图，而如今研究人员通过解析一种名为非编码的RNAs就可以帮助阐明生物活性分子的功能了，非编码的RNAs并不会翻译成为蛋白质，其似乎在机体中行使着控制的作用。
  研究者Stefanie Dimmeler是第一批证明micro-RNAs亚群在血管再生过程中扮演重要作用的科学家，如今他又获得批准将对非编码的RNAs进行研究，研究者认为这类RNAs亚群在心脏病发作、中风及癌症的发生过程中扮演着重要角色，而目前欧洲研究委员会计划在下个5年投资250万欧元用于非编码RNAs的研究。
  Stefanie Dimmeler说道，如果你问我什么对于人类进化发育非常重要，我会说是超过3万个非编码的RNAs，而我们和灵长类动物共享了大部分的非编码的RNAs，以研究者所从事的心脏血管再生领域的研究来考虑，尤其是近年来血管疾病，比如动脉粥样硬化的发生，其会引发心脏病发作；目前有很多长链非编码RNAs（lncRNAs）可以控制疾病的发生，这些lncRNAs会影响血管内皮细胞，同时又会向器官和组织供给氧气和营养物质。
  目前用于追踪lncRNAs以及其复杂功能的技术远比发现新型蛋白要复杂地多，研究者及其同事鉴别出了两种候选物：Angiolnc1和Angiolnc2，其可以调节内皮细胞的功能；随后研究人员试图去通过利用这两种lncRNAs来诱发血管疾病从而阐明特殊的分子表观遗传机制，而研究的目的则是寻找抑制动脉粥样硬化的新型疗法，从而降低心脏病及中风的发生。
  后期研究者将去研究揭示是否环状的lncRNAs可以被用作生物标志物来鉴别心脏和血管系统的某些疾病，研究人员希望通过更多的深入研究来开发新型的检测手段来在病人心血管疾病发病的不同阶段从其血液中靶向寻找特殊的生物分子，用以开发抑制疾病恶化的新疗法。

（转化医学网360zhyx.com）
以上为转化医学网原创翻译整理，如需转载，请注明出处和链接！
转化医学网推荐的新闻阅读：

"If you asked me what was special about the evolutionary development of human beings, I would say it´s the more than 30,000 non-coding RNA, most of which we only share with primates," says Stefanie Dimmeler. From the perspective of her research area, cardiovascular regeneration, it is especially noteworthy that vascular illnesses like arteriosclerosis, which causes heart attacks, only occur in their typical form in humans. There are many indicators that long, non-coding RNAs, lncRNAs for short, control these illnesses. They affect the inside layer of the blood vessels, known as endothelial cells, and help supply the organs and tissues with oxygen and nutrients.

The technologies used to track these lncRNAs and their complex functions are much more complicated than finding proteins. Dimmeler and her working group identified two candidates, Angiolnc1 and Angiolnc2, that regulate the functions of endothelial cells. Now she wants to study the molecular epigenetic mechanisms that these two lncRNAs use to trigger vascular illnesses. The goal of this research is to identify new treatments for preventing arteriosclerosis, in order to reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.

In the third part of her project, Dimmeler will study whether ring-shaped lncRNAs, which have special protection once they are released into the blood, can be used as biomarkers for identifying illnesses in the vascular system or the heart. To this end, she will work with her group to develop tests that can be used to find these biomolecules in patients' blood during the various stages of cardiovascular illnesses.