TY - JOUR
T1 - MicroRNAs Regulate Thymic Epithelium in Age-Related Thymic Involution via Down-or Upregulation of Transcription Factors
AU - Xu, Minwen
AU - Zhang, Xiaoli
AU - Hong, Ruiyun
AU - Su, Dong Ming
AU - Wang, Liefeng
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partially supported by grants from the Higher Education Foundation of Jiangxi Provincial (KJLD2090), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20132BAB205032), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31260279 and 31660256) to Liefeng Wang.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Minwen Xu et al.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Age-related thymic involution is primarily induced by defects in nonhematopoietic thymic epithelial cells (TECs). It is characterized by dysfunction of multiple transcription factors (TFs), such as p63 and FoxN1, and also involves other TEC-associated regulators, such as Aire. These TFs and regulators are controlled by complicated regulatory networks, in which microRNAs (miRNAs) act as a key player. miRNAs can either directly target the 3′-UTRs (untranslated regions) of the TFs to suppress TF expression or target TF inhibitors to reduce or increase TF inhibitor expression and thereby indirectly enhance or inhibit TF expression. Here, we review the current understanding and recent studies about how miRNAs are involved in age-related thymic involution via regulation of TEC-autonomous TFs. We also discuss potential strategies for targeting miRNAs to rejuvenate age-related declined thymic function.
AB - Age-related thymic involution is primarily induced by defects in nonhematopoietic thymic epithelial cells (TECs). It is characterized by dysfunction of multiple transcription factors (TFs), such as p63 and FoxN1, and also involves other TEC-associated regulators, such as Aire. These TFs and regulators are controlled by complicated regulatory networks, in which microRNAs (miRNAs) act as a key player. miRNAs can either directly target the 3′-UTRs (untranslated regions) of the TFs to suppress TF expression or target TF inhibitors to reduce or increase TF inhibitor expression and thereby indirectly enhance or inhibit TF expression. Here, we review the current understanding and recent studies about how miRNAs are involved in age-related thymic involution via regulation of TEC-autonomous TFs. We also discuss potential strategies for targeting miRNAs to rejuvenate age-related declined thymic function.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042644857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1155/2017/2528957
DO - 10.1155/2017/2528957
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29226156
AN - SCOPUS:85042644857
SN - 2314-8861
VL - 2017
JO - Journal of Immunology Research
JF - Journal of Immunology Research
M1 - 2528957
ER -