Role of Long Noncoding RNAs and Circular RNAs in Nerve Regeneration

Front. Mol. Neurosci., 2019 · DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00165 · Published: June 28, 2019

Regenerative Medicine Neurology Genetics

Simple Explanation

Nerve injuries can lead to significant disabilities, making it crucial to understand the underlying biological processes and molecular mechanisms. Identifying specific molecules involved in nerve regeneration could pave the way for targeted therapies. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are gaining attention for their roles in various biological processes and diseases. Changes in the expression of lncRNAs and circRNAs after nerve injury suggest their involvement in nerve regeneration. This review provides an overview of lncRNAs and circRNAs, summarizes studies on their involvement in peripheral nerve injury and spinal cord injury (SCI), and discusses future research directions.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
LncRNAs and circRNAs play a role in both peripheral nerve injury and spinal cord injury, influencing processes such as neurite outgrowth, Schwann cell modulation, astrocyte proliferation, and neuronal survival.
2
Specific lncRNAs, such as BC089918 and uc.217, have been shown to negatively regulate neurite outgrowth, while others like NONMMUG014387 and BC088327 promote Schwann cell proliferation.
3
In spinal cord injury, lncRNAs like lncSCIR1 negatively regulate astrocyte proliferation and migration, while others like lncSNHG5 enhance the viability of astrocytes and microglia.

Research Summary

This review summarizes the current understanding of lncRNAs and circRNAs in nerve regeneration, focusing on their roles in peripheral nerve injury and spinal cord injury. The review highlights specific lncRNAs and circRNAs and their mechanisms of action, including their involvement in neurite outgrowth, Schwann cell modulation, astrocyte proliferation, and neuronal survival. The review concludes by discussing future research directions, including the need for detailed mechanistic studies, exploration of interaction networks, identification of upstream regulators, and the development of clinical applications based on lncRNAs and circRNAs.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Targets

LncRNAs and circRNAs could serve as potential therapeutic targets for nerve injury repair.

Clinical Translation

Further research into the conservation of lncRNAs and circRNAs between species could facilitate clinical translation for nerve injury.

Diagnostic Markers

LncRNAs/circRNAs could potentially be applied to clinical nerve injury repair

Study Limitations

1
The detailed mechanisms underlying the role of lncRNAs/circRNAs need to be illustrated.
2
More solid evidence should be provided to confirm the interaction between lncRNAs/circRNAs, miRNAs and target genes, such as Ago2 immunoprecipitation.
3
How nerve injuries trigger the expression alteration of lncRNAs/circRNAs needs to be explored.

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