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8 - MicroRNA function in the nervous system

from II - MicroRNA functions and RNAi-mediated pathways

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2009

By
Gerhard Schratt  and
Michael Greenberg
Edited by
Krishnarao Appasani
Foreword by
Sidney Altman  and
Victor R. Ambros
Gerhard Schratt
Affiliation:
University of Heidelberg Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, Room 160 D-69120 Heidelberg Germany
Michael Greenberg
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115 USA
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Summary

Introduction

It is fair to say that the nervous system is among the most complex of all the organ systems in animals. In a typical mammal, billions of nerve cells (neurons) form a highly organized, intricate network of connections. The creation of neuronal networks, and their support by surrounding glial cells, is a prerequisite for the correct functioning of the nervous system. Given the complexity of the mature nervous system and the underlying processes that lead to its proper development, it is not surprising that microRNA-dependent regulation of gene expression plays an especially important role in the developing and mature nervous system. Processes in which microRNAs have been implicated in the nervous system include the initial specification of neuronal cell identity, the formation and refinement of synaptic connections between individual neurons during development and the ongoing plasticity of synapses in the adult. The functions of microRNAs during these different stages of nervous system development will be discussed, followed by a review of our knowledge about the role of microRNAs in diseases caused by neuronal dysfunction. It should be noted that microRNA function in glial cells, the other major cell type in the nervous system, will not be discussed in this chapter. This omission is not because of the absence of microRNAs from glial cells, but it simply reflects our limited knowledge about microRNAs in this cell type.

Type
Chapter
Information
MicroRNAs
From Basic Science to Disease Biology
 , pp. 115 - 128
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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