microRNA Isolation, Expression Profiling, and Target Identification for Neuroprotection in Alzheimer's Disease

Methods Mol Biol. 2024:2761:277-290. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3662-6_20.

Abstract

Millions of people throughout the world are affected by neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD), making them a major public health concern. To create successful medicines, early diagnosis and illness monitoring are required. Emerging as possible diagnostic and treatment tools for neurodegenerative illnesses are biomarkers such as microRNAs (miRNAs). In the realm of neuroscience, miRNAs have been discovered to function as essential regulators of gene expression, with roles spanning development, differentiation, and illness. Several neurodegenerative diseases, including AD, have been linked to miRNA dysregulation. As high-throughput methods have been developed for monitoring miRNA expression and identifying miRNA targets, miRNAs have become a prime candidate for use in diagnostics and therapy. The techniques for isolating miRNAs and the most up-to-date computational methods for finding miRNA target transcripts are both described in this chapter. This chapter will be a helpful reference for anyone investigating the role of miRNAs in AD and related neurodegenerative illnesses.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Biomarker; Expression profiling; Neuroprotection; Target identification; microRNA isolation.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / metabolism
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods
  • Humans
  • MicroRNAs* / genetics
  • MicroRNAs* / metabolism
  • Neuroprotection

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • Biomarkers