MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous and non-coding single-stranded RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides, many of which are evolutionarily conserved. Genome-wide association studies have identified a robust statistical association between the MIR137 gene and schizophrenia in Europeans, which was replicated in the Han Chinese population in a case-control study. In the previous study, we ...

miR-137, a brain-enriched microRNA, is involved in the control of neuronal proliferation, differentiation, and dendritic arborization, all of which are important for proper neurogenesis and relevant to schizophrenia. miR-137 is also known to regulate many genes implicated in schizophrenia risk. Although reports have associated the miR-137 polymorphism rs1625579 with this disease, their results ...

BACKGROUND A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within MIR137, the host gene for miR-137, has been identified repeatedly as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Previous genetic pathway analyses suggest that potential targets of this microRNA (miRNA) are also highly enriched in schizophrenia-relevant biological pathways, including those involved in nervous system development and function. METHO...

Although Cullin 4A (CUL4A) is mutated or amplified in several human cancer types, its role in gastric cancer (GC) and the mechanisms underlying its regulation remain largely uncharacterized. In the present study, we report that the expression of CUL4A significantly correlated with the clinical stage of the tumor and lymph node metastasis, and survival rates were lower in GC patients with higher...

EXPRESSION PROFILING AND FUNCTIONAL VALIDATION OF MICRORNAs INVOLVED IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR DISORDER By Albert H. Kim, B.S., M.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Dr. Vladimir I. Vladimirov, M.D., Ph.D. Asst. Professor, Department of Psychia...

In the last years, microRNAs (miRNA) have emerged as new molecular players involved in carcinogenesis. Deregulation of miRNAs expression has been shown in different human cancer but the molecular mechanism underlying the alteration of miRNA expression is unknown. To identify tumor-supressor miRNAs silenced through aberrant epigenetic events in colorectal cancer (CRC), we used a sequential appro...

The Microphthalmia associated transcription factor (Mitf) is an important regulator in melanocyte development and has been shown to be involved in melanoma progression. The current model for the role of Mitf in melanoma assumes that the total activity of the protein is tightly regulated in order to secure cell proliferation. Previous research has shown that regulation of Mitf is complex and inv...

BACKGROUND MicroRNA (miRNA) expression is broadly altered in cancer, but few studies have investigated miRNA deregulation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the regulation of >30 miRNA genes in a range of tissues, and we aimed to investigate this further in OSCC. METHODS TaqMan® qRT-PCR arrays and individual assays were used to profile miRNA expressi...

Emerging evidence are accumulating that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been identified to participate in various cellular processes. Terminal differentiation induced ncRNA (TINCR) is a newly identified lncRNA with its functional roles not fully elucidated in human malignancy. The current study aims to identify the clinical significance of TINCR in prognosis and malignant progressio...