[
Ageing Res Rev,
2014]
The increasing burden of ageing populations and their healthcare expenditure is a major challenge worldwide. Ageing is a complex disorder and can be defined as progressive decline in function with time leading to increased incidence of various cardiovascular, neurological and immunological diseases. The human genome comprises of many protein coding and even more non-coding RNA genes. MicroRNAs, a class of non-coding RNA, regulate the expression of multiple messenger RNAs post-transcriptionally and are reported to be involved in crucial aspects of cell biology encompassing ageing. Recently, several studies have reported the regulation of microRNAs with ageing and microRNAs like miR-34 have emerged as critical regulator of ageing extending from Caenorhabditis elegans to mammals. Here, we summarize the reported role of microRNAs as well as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the process of ageing with a special emphasis on cardiovascular ageing.
[
Parasitol Today,
1992]
Like particle physics, biology is now a big expensive business, and like CERN, the genome projects alternately provoke admiration and detraction. Some feel that it would be more valuable to go for specific genes of interest rather than fill databases with sequences of junk DNA. The detractors would also say that the costs entailed, the limited intellectual and practical payback, and the ethical worries are too big to justify. But like the mythological juggernaut, once started it won't stop and it is indisputable that exciting information will come out of these efforts. Like some of the best discoveries many will be unexpected and have repercussions of immense value. This is indisputable on statistical grounds alone; the Caenorhabditis elegans genome is estimated to contain tens of thousands of genes. However, genome projects cannot be justified by serendipity and they do have obvious immediate value for tracing the genes involved in cancer and other inheritable disorders, and indeed for the multiple technological spin-offs. The C. elegans genome project is already bearing luscious fruit, of the 34 genes reported so far some of which have sequence similarity with genes such as glutathione reductase, an immunogenic protein from Trichostrongylus colubriformis, acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase and various other enzymes, growth factors and signal transducing components. Up-to-date cDNA data will be published by John Sulston and his colleagues in the early issues of Nature Genetics, due out this month.