Circulating microRNAs as Hormones: Intercellular and Inter-organ Conveyors of Epigenetic Information?

Circulating microRNAs as Hormones: Intercellular and Inter-organ Conveyors of Epigenetic Information? EXS. 2015;106:255-67 Authors: Yoshioka Y, Katsuda T, Ochiya T Abstract The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has created a paradigm shift not only in the traditional central dogma of molecular biology but also in the research of a variety of human diseases. Fourteen years after the discovery of miRNAs, there was another revolutionary finding: cells can shuttle miRNAs between each other via small lipid bilayer vesicles called exosomes. This exosome-mediated horizontal transfer of genetically encoded messages is now recognized as a means of intercellular communication. This chapter reviews the concept that miRNAs can function as hormones conveying epigenetic information. PMID: 26608208 [PubMed - in process]
Source: EXS - Category: Research Tags: EXS Source Type: research