Interpretation!

February 27, 2021 // - A few days ago, a research report titled "Huntington's disease brain-derived small RNAs recapitulate associated neuropathology in mice" was published in the international journal Acta Neuropathologica .

In this study, the researchers identified a type of RNA that could serve as a potential therapeutic target for developing treatments for Huntington's disease; this sRNAs molecule does not encode proteins, but is very important for regulating gene expression; the researchers said SRNAs may be involved in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease.

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An innovative technology

In the article, researchers understand the potential toxicity of a series of sRNAs molecules produced in the brains of Huntington's disease patients; determining the mechanism of this toxicity is essential for understanding the progression of the disease and designing new drugs and therapeutic strategies.

The results of the study show that the sRNAs in the body of Huntington’s disease patients are sufficient to cause similar pathological manifestations in normal mice, including changes in exercise, similar transcriptional changes observed in human diseases and mouse models, and damage during the disease process.

The special role of sRNAs in the development of diseases

Relevant research results indicate that sRNAs may play a new role in the occurrence and progression of diseases; researcher Martí said that so far, researchers have shown that mHTT protein and its RNA encoding the protein and RNA with CAG repeats are helpful To promote neurotoxicity; however, the toxic effects associated with RNAs carrying CAG repeats may not explain very important changes in certain pathological contexts; for example, specific neuronal effects or transcriptional changes; these findings indicate , Different types of sRNAs produced in the brain of patients may be involved in the pathogenesis.

In this sense, RNAs-derived fragments—tRNA fragments (tRFs) have become the most easily altered sRNAs in the brains of Huntington’s disease patients; the results of this article show that specific tRF can cause neurotoxicity, which suggests it Perhaps it was involved in the process of sRNAs-related damage in the affected patient's body.

Potential new biomarkers

In addition, these molecules may be used as new potential biomarkers to indicate diseases, because there are currently many research evidences that there are changes in the expression of RNAs before the symptoms of the disease appear; these changes can be reflected in biological fluids such as plasma.

Finally, the researchers pointed out that relevant research results are also crucial for the development of new therapies for the treatment of other diseases; in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, researchers can detect changes in sRNA expression at an early stage, so they can find a better one.

Reference materials:

[1] Creus-Muncunill, J.