MicroRNA Dynamics in Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases
Summary
Autoimmune thyroid diseases arise when the immune system aberrantly targets thyroid tissue, leading to conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that fine-tune gene expression by promoting degradation or inhibiting translation of target messenger RNAs. In the thyroid gland and associated immune cells, distinct microRNA signatures have been linked to autoantibody production, thyroid epithelial integrity and lymphocyte activation. Dysregulated microRNAs can alter tight junction proteins in thyrocytes, modulate cytokine secretion by T cells via the NF-κB pathway and influence expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor. These regulatory circuits operate both locally in the thyroid microenvironment and systemically through circulating microRNAs, making them promising biomarkers for disease activity and potential therapeutic targets. Recent work has begun to map the dynamic interplay between specific microRNAs, autoantibody titres and thyroid functional status, highlighting their global significance in diagnosis, prognosis and precision medicine approaches for autoimmune thyroid disorders.
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MicroRNA Dynamics in Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in microrna dynamics in autoimmune thyroid diseases across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
microRNA: Small non-coding RNA of about 22 nucleotides that regulates gene expression by base-pairing with target mRNAs.
Autoimmune thyroid disease: Disorders in which the immune system attacks thyroid tissue, leading to hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
Thyrocyte: Epithelial cell forming the follicular lining of the thyroid gland, responsible for thyroid hormone synthesis.
Autoantibody: Antibody produced by the immune system that mistakenly binds to the body’s own proteins.
Tight junction: Intercellular adhesion complex that controls paracellular permeability between epithelial cells.
NF-κB pathway: Signal transduction cascade involving nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells that regulates immune and inflammatory responses.
Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR): Laboratory technique for quantifying RNA levels by reverse transcribing RNA into DNA and amplifying specific targets.
References
- MicroRNA-142-5p contributes to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis by targeting CLDN1. Journal of Translational Medicine (2016).
- Expression Profiles of miR-22-5p and miR-142-3p Indicate Hashimoto’s Disease and Are related to Thyroid Antibodies. Genes (2022).
- Serum and thyroid tissue level of let-7b and their correlation with TRAb in Graves’ disease. Journal of Translational Medicine (2018).
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