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Circulating microRNAs as novel biomarkers for diabetes mellitus

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 9, pages 513–521 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells that is insufficient to maintain blood glucose homeostasis. Autoimmune destruction of β cells results in type 1 diabetes mellitus, whereas conditions that reduce insulin sensitivity and negatively affect β-cell activities result in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Without proper management, patients with diabetes mellitus develop serious complications that reduce their quality of life and life expectancy. Biomarkers for early detection of the disease and identification of individuals at risk of developing complications would greatly improve the care of these patients. Small non-coding RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) control gene expression and participate in many physiopathological processes. Hundreds of miRNAs are actively or passively released in the circulation and can be used to evaluate health status and disease progression. Both type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus are associated with distinct modifications in the profile of miRNAs in the blood, which are sometimes detectable several years before the disease manifests. Moreover, circulating levels of certain miRNAs seem to be predictive of long-term complications. Technical and scientific obstacles still exist that need to be overcome, but circulating miRNAs might soon become part of the diagnostic arsenal to identify individuals at risk of developing diabetes mellitus and its devastating complications.

Key Points

  • New biomarkers are needed to improve the identification of individuals at risk of developing diabetes mellitus and its associated complications, monitor disease progression and assess the efficacy of therapeutic interventions

  • Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are attractive biomarker candidates as they can be easily collected, are stable under different storage conditions and can be measured using assays that are specific, sensitive and reproducible

  • Pioneering studies have identified characteristic changes in blood levels of miRNAs in samples from a range of cohorts of patients with diabetes mellitus

  • However, definitive miRNA signatures for type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus or their associated complications remain to be defined and agreed upon

  • Although measuring circulating miRNAs is a promising approach in individuals at risk of developing diabetes mellitus, several key issues still need to be addressed, including the determination of the most appropriate blood sampling protocols

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Figure 1: Biogenesis and release of miRNAs.
Figure 2: Blood and other body fluids contain active miRNAs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, from the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes and from the Société Francophone du Diabète (SFD)-Servier. C. Guay is supported by a fellowship from Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec, the SFD and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

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    Claudiane Guay & Romano Regazzi

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Correspondence to Romano Regazzi.

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Guay, C., Regazzi, R. Circulating microRNAs as novel biomarkers for diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol 9, 513–521 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2013.86

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