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Non-Coding RNAs in Myasthenia Gravis: From Immune Regulation to Personalized Medicine
by
Nicola Iacomino
Nicola Iacomino
,
Maria Cristina Tarasco
Maria Cristina Tarasco
Alessia Berni
Alessia Berni
Jacopo Ronchi
Jacopo Ronchi
Renato Mantegazza
Renato Mantegazza
Paola Cavalcante
Paola Cavalcante
Paola Cavalcante obtained her Master’s degree in Biological
Sciences, summa cum laude, in 2002 at [...]
Paola Cavalcante obtained her Master’s degree in Biological
Sciences, summa cum laude, in 2002 at the Laboratory of Genetics, Cell Biology
Department, University of Calabria (Cosenza, Italy) where in 2006 she got her
Ph.D. in Molecular Bio-pathology. She joined the UOC Neurologia 4 in 2006 as a post-doc
researcher. She has always been actively involved in national and international
projects on neuromuscular diseases, particularly myasthenia gravis (MG). Her
research activity aims at understanding the immunological alterations
underlying these disorders, for the development of more efficient and
innovative treatments. Findings from her studies allowed her to disclose a
close link between innate immunity and autoimmunity in MG, revealing the
contribution of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and pathogen (e.g. Epstein-Barr
virus) infections to the intra-thymic pathogenesis of the disease. In 2013, she
was awarded a Grant from the Italian Ministry of Health for a Young Researcher
and started to coordinate and work on a project focused on the role of
microRNAs as pathogenic factors implicated in MG and potential targets of
RNA-based advanced therapies to achieve immunomodulation. Since 2019 she has
been in Health Research at the same UOC, where she coordinates a group of
junior and senior fellowships working on MG and immune-mediated neurological
disorders to improve therapeutic strategies and promote personalized medicine
implementation in clinical practice.
Maria Foti
Maria Foti
Maria Foti graduated in Milan in 1992 and obtained her PhD
in Biotechnology in 1996 at the of In a [...]
Maria Foti graduated in Milan in 1992 and obtained her PhD
in Biotechnology in 1996 at the University of Milan. In 1997 she was a visiting
researcher at the “Human Genome Sciences” institute in Rockville, USA. From
1999-2003 she was appointed as a researcher at the R&D Department of the
pharmaceutical company Bayer/Axxam in Milan where she focused on early-stage
target discovery in the field of immunology and the discovery of a novel gene
reporter system. In 2004 she became an assistant professor at the University of
Milano-Bicocca. She has worked for several years in the field of molecular
immunology and cell biology of Dendritic Cells. She studied the molecular
events associated with Dendritic cell early responses, suggesting the role of
Dendritic Cells as the key players in innate immune responses. She also
developed a novel molecular assay that can be used as quality control in
DC-based therapies. Her research activity has been dedicated to the
understanding of the molecular pathways regulating mainly myeloid cells
(Dendritic Cells (DCs), Monocytes, and Neutrophils) Biology in health and
disease. Her lab has a strong focus on cells of innate immunity including the
role of APC in autoimmunity and their regulation in tissue and organ
homeostasis. From 2017 she is also the scientific director of the Transcriptome
Facility at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
1
Neurology 4–Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscolar Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy
2
Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
3
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
4
BicOMICs, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors equally contributed to this work.
Cells 2024, 13(18), 1550; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13181550 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 7 August 2024
/
Revised: 6 September 2024
/
Accepted: 10 September 2024
/
Published: 14 September 2024
Abstract
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disorder characterized by altered neuromuscular transmission, which causes weakness and fatigability in the skeletal muscles. The etiology of MG is complex, being associated with multiple genetic and environmental factors. Over recent years, progress has been made in understanding the immunological alterations implicated in the disease, but the exact pathogenesis still needs to be elucidated. A pathogenic interplay between innate immunity and autoimmunity contributes to the intra-thymic MG development. Epigenetic changes are critically involved in both innate and adaptive immune response regulation. They can act as (i) pathological factors besides genetic predisposition and (ii) co-factors contributing to disease phenotypes or patient-specific disease course/outcomes. This article reviews the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as epigenetic factors implicated in MG. Particular attention is dedicated to microRNAs (miRNAs), whose expression is altered in MG patients’ thymuses and circulating blood. The long ncRNA (lncRNA) contribution to MG, although not fully characterized yet, is also discussed. By summarizing the most recent and fast-growing findings on ncRNAs in MG, we highlight the therapeutic potential of these molecules for achieving immune regulation and their value as biomarkers for the development of personalized medicine approaches to improve disease care.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Iacomino, N.; Tarasco, M.C.; Berni, A.; Ronchi, J.; Mantegazza, R.; Cavalcante, P.; Foti, M.
Non-Coding RNAs in Myasthenia Gravis: From Immune Regulation to Personalized Medicine. Cells 2024, 13, 1550.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13181550
AMA Style
Iacomino N, Tarasco MC, Berni A, Ronchi J, Mantegazza R, Cavalcante P, Foti M.
Non-Coding RNAs in Myasthenia Gravis: From Immune Regulation to Personalized Medicine. Cells. 2024; 13(18):1550.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13181550
Chicago/Turabian Style
Iacomino, Nicola, Maria Cristina Tarasco, Alessia Berni, Jacopo Ronchi, Renato Mantegazza, Paola Cavalcante, and Maria Foti.
2024. "Non-Coding RNAs in Myasthenia Gravis: From Immune Regulation to Personalized Medicine" Cells 13, no. 18: 1550.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13181550
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