Evaluating the Effects of MicroRNAs on Proteoglycans and Matrix Constituents' Expression and Functional Properties.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) possess significant roles in normal homeostasis and disease conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, fibrosis, inflammatory response, and cancer. Secreted miRNAs, via the membrane vesicles, actively communicate with extracellular matrix (ECM) components to affect cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, thereby affecting matrix remodeling and metabolic pathways in the recipient cells. Matrix macromolecules regulate the expression of miRNAs, and in turn miRNAs have been identified as emerging mediators of matrix constituents, serving as appealing biomarkers for many pathophysiological processes. Therefore, the expression profile of certain miRNAs highlights the importance of their targeting in several aspects of human pathologies. In this chapter, we report molecular biology protocols to determine the effects of selected miRNAs on the expression and activity of matrix biomolecules.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)