MicroRNA Regulation of Autophagy and Their Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2023) | Viewed by 5524
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
A hallmark event in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is the accumulation of misfolded proteins. The disease-associated proteins undergo misfolding from their native states to form neurofibrillary tangles that cause cellular toxicity and loss of neuronal connectivity. Emerging evidence suggests that autophagy, an evolutionary conserved intracellular degradation machinery, contributes to the removal of aggregate-prone proteins in neurons, to support cellular homeostasis and protect against neurodegeneration. Defects in autophagy is often associated with the pathogenesis of NDs, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Thus, modulating autophagy is becoming a promising therapeutic approach against neurodegenerative disorders.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to almost all physiological and pathological processes through post-transcriptional mechanism. Studies in the last decade reveal that changes in miRNA profiles within the brain are significantly altered during the progression toward NDs, suggesting that miRNAs may be one of the key regulators of neuronal development and plasticity. There is a growing list of miRNAs which are identified as prime regulators of autophagy, and thus, in-depth knowledge of miRNA-mediated autophagy regulation can be integral to the treatment of NDs. This Special Issue focuses on the molecular mechanisms that connect miRNAs and autophagy in the context of neurodegenerative disorders. We welcome submissions of original papers and reviews covering this widely discussed topic.
Dr. Naihan Xu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- neurodegenerative diseases
- aggregate-prone proteins
- microRNA
- autophagy
- mitophagy
- autophagosome
- lysosome
