microRNAs in asthma pathogenesis - from mouse to man

Abstract

Asthma is a heterogenic disease affecting over 300 million people of all ages and socioeconomic status worldwide. The disease is characterized by chronic airway inflammation, reversible airflow obstruction, wheeze, cough and shortness of breath. Although asthma has been traditionally described by phenotypes such as immune cell type or allergy, it is clear that a variety of subtypes have emerged, adding further complexity to the disease. microRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that act as regulatory molecules, binding to one or several target mRNAs, often resulting in translational silencing. In recent years, microRNAs have been the subject of many studies in order to better understand the mechanisms driving asthma development as well as discovery of potential biomarkers for asthma. In this review, we focus on the emerging role of microRNAs in asthma, from animal models to human cohorts.