Role of non-coding RNAs in non-aging-related neurological disorders

Protein coding sequences represent only 2% of the human genome. Recent advances have demonstrated that a significant portion of the genome is actively transcribed as non-coding RNA molecules. These non-coding RNAs are emerging as key players in the regulation of biological processes, and act as "fine-tuners" of gene expression. Neurological disorders are caused by a wide range of genetic mutations, epigenetic and environmental factors, and the exact pathophysiology of many of these conditions is still unknown. It is currently recognized that dysregulations in the expression of non-coding RNAs are present in many neurological disorders and may be relevant in the mechanisms leading to disease. In addition, circulating non-coding RNAs are emerging as potential biomarkers with great potential impact in clinical practice. In this review, we discuss mainly the role of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in several neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, Huntington disease, fragile X-associated ataxia, spinocerebellar ataxias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and pain. In addition, we give information about the conditions where microRNAs have demonstrated to be potential biomarkers such as in epilepsy, pain, and ALS.

蛋白质编码序列仅占人类基因组的2%。近期研究进展表明，基因组中有相当一部分会被主动转录为非编码RNA（non-coding RNA）分子。这类非编码RNA正逐渐成为生物过程调控的关键参与者，并充当基因表达的"精细调节器"。神经系统疾病由多种基因突变、表观遗传及环境因素共同引发，目前仍有多数此类疾病的确切病理生理机制尚未阐明。当前学界已证实，众多神经系统疾病中均存在非编码RNA表达失调的现象，且该失调可能与疾病发生的病理机制密切相关。此外，循环非编码RNA正逐渐成为具备巨大临床应用潜力的潜在生物标志物。在本综述中，我们主要探讨微小RNA（microRNAs）与长链非编码RNA在多种神经系统疾病中的作用，涵盖癫痫、亨廷顿病、脆性X相关共济失调、脊髓小脑共济失调、肌萎缩侧索硬化（ALS）以及疼痛相关病症。此外，我们还介绍了微小RNA被证实可作为潜在生物标志物的相关病症，包括癫痫、疼痛及肌萎缩侧索硬化。