The fine tuning role of microRNA-RNA interaction in odontoblast differentiation and disease.

Dentinogenesis imperfecta and dentin dysplasia are two common types of genetic oral diseases resulted from the aberrant differentiation of odontoblast. Understanding the mechanisms of odontoblast differentiation is crucial for finding the diagnosis candidate genes and treatment targets for such kinds of diseases. Previous work has identified a battery of transcription factors and growth factors regulating odontoblast differentiation; however, the post-transcriptional regulating mechanisms of them are poorly studied. Micro RNAs (mi RNA) are a group of non-coding RNAs widely studied in organ development, inflammation, and tumorigenesis because of its inhibitory effects on the target m RNAs. Also, mi RNAs along with their binding targets form a complex competing endogenous RNA (ce RNA) network where mi RNAs serve as the fine tuning balancers between their targets. Recent reports demonstrated the essential role of the mi RNA pathway in dentinogenesis and the regulatory role of several specific mi RNAs in the in vitro model of odontoblast differentiation. Herein, we will discuss the general roles of mi RNA in diseases, the function of mi RNAs during odontoblast differentiation, and finally the potential pathological mechanisms through which mi RNAs cause the odontoblast-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]