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Circulating microRNAs: novel biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases

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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression via translational inhibition or mRNA degradation followed by protein synthesis repression. Many miRNAs are expressed in a tissue- and/or cell-specific manner and their expression patterns are reflective of underlying patho-physiologic processes. miRNAs can be detected in serum or in plasma in a remarkably stable form, making them attractive biomarkers for human diseases. This review describes the progress of identifying circulating miRNAs as novel biomarkers for diverse cardiovascular diseases, including acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, stroke, essential hypertension, and acute pulmonary embolism. In addition, the origin and function and the different strategies to identify circulating miRNAs as novel biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases are also discussed. Rarely has an opportunity arisen to advance such new biology for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases.

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Disclosures

None declared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 200065, Shanghai, China

    Jiahong Xu

  2. Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias, Ministry of Education, China (Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine), 200092, Shanghai, China

    Jiahong Xu, Yan Cheng & Junjie Xiao

  3. Department of Radiology, Shanghai Third People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 201900, Shanghai, China

    Jiangmin Zhao

  4. Cardiovascular Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Graham Evan, Chunyang Xiao & Junjie Xiao

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 200065, Shanghai, China

    Yan Cheng

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  1. Jiahong Xu
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  2. Jiangmin Zhao
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  3. Graham Evan
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  4. Chunyang Xiao
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  5. Yan Cheng
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  6. Junjie Xiao
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Correspondence to Yan Cheng or Junjie Xiao.

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Jiahong Xu and Jiangmin Zhao contributed equally to this work.

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Xu, J., Zhao, J., Evan, G. et al. Circulating microRNAs: novel biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. J Mol Med 90, 865–875 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-011-0840-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-011-0840-5

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