In a recent study at the University of Illinois, researchers investigated the relationship between microRNA-21, binge drinking, and poor vascular function. They studied the blood samples and tissue biopsies of 14 young adults. One group of 7 was defined as binge drinkers and the other group of 7 was defined as abstainers. Researchers found early indications of vascular dysfunction and irregularly high presence of microRNA-21 in binge drinkers that were not present in abstainers. They also found that suppression of microRNA-21 helped revitalize vascular function in binge drinkers but not abstainers. Therefore, the University of Illinois researchers are hopeful that microRNA-21 may be employed in the early detection of cardiovascular disease and a treatment option for the amelioration or prevention of cardiovascular disease.
MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that
regulate the translation of their target messenger RNAs in the cytoplasm
through mRNA degradation and/or translational repression. Scientific evidence suggests microRNAs are
capable of regulating more than 60% of the human protein-coding genome at the
translational level. The swift production of nucleotide and amino
acid sequence data by next generation sequencing techniques has made it possible for researchers to begin delving into the relationships between microRNAs and disease. The scientific findings at the University of Illinois are one example of many research avenues pertaining to miRNA as biomarkers.
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- Evan Holmes
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