The roles of micro RNA in pancreas development and regeneration

Presence of sufficient number of functional glucose responsive β-cells is indispensable for normal glucose homeostasis. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease associated with loss or reduction of β-cell mass and not β-cell mass. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that are involved in different biological processes including development, cell proliferation, stress response, and tumor pathogenesis. MicroRNAs fine-tune the gene expression level post-transcriptionally either by mRNA degradation or translational repression. In the past few years, several miRNAs have been introduced as new critical players for pancreas development, function, and regeneration. Deregulation of several microRNAs is found in animal models of diabetes, as well as in diabetic patients. Therefore, it is essential to understand the roles of these microRNAs in β-cell generation and physiology, as well as the biological consequences of their functional impairment. Biomedical Reviews 2013; 24: 57-65.