MicroRNAs are expressed in a type of heart cell known as cardiomyocytes and their aberrant regulation was correlated with heart disease. This study looks at how miRNAs in other heart cells may contribute to disease. It is found that in cardiac fibroblasts, miR-21 is upregulated in diseased heart. This activates a signalling pathway that exacerbates cardiac disease. By using an RNA molecule directed against miR-21, it was possible to reverse these effects, demonstrating that therapeutic treatment to downregulate a microRNA can be effective in vivo.
- Thomas Thum
- Carina Gross
- Stefan Engelhardt
