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  • Review Article
  • Published:

Deregulation and therapeutic potential of microRNAs in arthritic diseases

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 12, pages 211–220 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

An Erratum to this article was published on 14 July 2016

This article has been updated

Key Points

  • MicroRNA (miRNA) deregulation has a role in the breakdown of cartilage homeostasis and in osteoarticular diseases

  • Most miRNAs deregulated in mesenchymal stromal or stem cells (MSC) in the context of rheumatic diseases are involved in cell differentiation or anti-inflammatory mechanisms

  • Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have altered levels of specific miRNAs that have important roles in the modulation of inflammatory or catabolic functions, or both

  • Modulation of miRNAs in MSC or FLS for therapeutic purposes in rheumatic diseases has not been developed yet

  • Abnormal expression of miRNAs in immune cells in the context of arthritis has been described, and promising candidates for therapy have been identified

  • Targeting miRNA expression in monocytes to silence inflammatory and bone catabolic pathways could be a promising and efficient strategy to treat arthritic conditions

Abstract

Epigenetic abnormalities are part of the pathogenetic alterations involved in the development of rheumatic disorders. In this context, the main musculoskeletal cell lineages, which are generated from the pool of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and the immune cells that participate in rheumatic diseases are deregulated. In this Review, we focus on microRNA (miRNA)-mediated regulatory pathways that control cell proliferation, drive the production of proinflammatory mediators and modulate bone remodelling. The main studies that identify miRNAs as regulators of immune cell fate, MSC differentiation and immunomodulatory properties — parameters that are altered in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) — are also discussed, with emphasis on the importance of miRNAs in the regulation of cellular machinery, extracellular matrix remodelling and cytokine release. A deeper understanding of the involvement of miRNAs in rheumatic diseases is needed before these regulatory pathways can be explored as therapeutic approaches for patients with RA or OA.

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Figure 1: miRNAs that control differention of MSCs.
Figure 2: miRNAs that are deregulated in OA.
Figure 3: miRNAs that are deregulated in RA.

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Change history

  • 14 July 2016

    In Figures 1 and 3 of the above article, arrows described as red in the figure legends were shown as black. Additionally, there was a typographical error on page 217 of the above article. These have now been corrected in the online pdf.

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Acknowledgements

R.V. is a recipient of an European BeTheCure postdoctoral fellowship (115142–2). The authors' research is supported by INSERM, the University of Montpellier, the European Union Horizon 2020 program (ADIPOA), Arthritis R&D (ROAD: Research on Osteoarthritic Diseases) and the ANR (French National Research Agency).

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  1. INSERM U1183, Institut de Médecine Régénérative et Biothérapies, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Saint Eloi, 80 Rue Augustin Fliche, 34295, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Rita Vicente, Danièle Noël & Florence Apparailly

  2. Department of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology and Therapeutic of Osteoarticular Diseases Unit, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire (CHRU) Lapeyronie, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34295, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Yves-Marie Pers & Christian Jorgensen

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All authors contributed equally to all aspects of the manuscript (researching data for the article, discussions of its content, writing, review and editing of the manuscript before submission).

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Correspondence to Christian Jorgensen.

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Vicente, R., Noël, D., Pers, YM. et al. Deregulation and therapeutic potential of microRNAs in arthritic diseases. Nat Rev Rheumatol 12, 211–220 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2015.162

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