CHEST Guidelines-MicroRNAs-in-Lung-Disease

MicroRNAs-in-Lung-Disease_chest

Pdf Summary

In a recent correspondence to the journal CHEST, Bijay Pattnaik and colleagues addressed the omission of pulmonary sarcoidosis in a review on microRNAs (miRNAs) by Hoefel et al. MiRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that play vital roles in the regulation of genes involved in a variety of diseases, including those affecting the lungs. The original review covered their roles in several lung conditions, such as asthma, COPD, and acute lung injuries, but did not address their involvement in pulmonary sarcoidosis, a condition characterized by chronic granulomatous inflammation primarily in the lungs.<br /><br />Pattnaik et al. highlighted various miRNAs that are associated with the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. For instance, the miRNA let-7 regulates tumor necrosis factor-a, which contributes to granuloma formation. miR-34/SIRT1 and miR-146a, other notable miRNAs, modulate inflammatory responses by regulating cytokines like interferon-g. miR-33 is involved in the lipid transport processes that lead to macrophage aggregation, a precursor to granuloma development. Moreover, a cluster of miR-9, miR-146a, miR-155, and miR-223 is involved in the activation of macrophages and are elevated in sarcoidosis patients.<br /><br />Further, Pattnaik et al. suggested exhaled breath condensate (EBC) as a promising noninvasive method to test for miRNA expression, potentially helping in the understanding and diagnosis of various lung diseases.<br /><br />In response, the original authors acknowledged the importance of recognizing miRNAs related to pulmonary sarcoidosis and highlighted that their review mainly focused on miRNAs with known mechanistic, diagnostic, or therapeutic implications across different lung conditions.<br /><br />This exchange underscores the ongoing evolution of miRNA research in pulmonary diseases and the potential expansion into noninvasive diagnostic techniques like EBC.

Keywords

pulmonary sarcoidosis

miRNAs

gene regulation

lung diseases

granulomatous inflammation

miRNA let-7

exhaled breath condensate

noninvasive diagnosis

cytokines

macrophage activation