Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet?

doi:10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4

. 2017 Jun 22:12:15.

doi: 10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4. eCollection 2017.

Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet?

Kenneth W Witwer^{1

2}, Chen-Yu Zhang³

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology and Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
² School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
³ Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.

PMID: 28694875
PMCID: PMC5501113
DOI: 10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4

Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet?

Kenneth W Witwer et al. Genes Nutr. 2017.

. 2017 Jun 22:12:15.

doi: 10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Kenneth W Witwer^{1

2}, Chen-Yu Zhang³

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology and Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
² School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
³ Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.

PMID: 28694875
PMCID: PMC5501113
DOI: 10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4

Abstract

In ancient lore, a bullet cast from silver is the only effective weapon against monsters. The uptake of active diet-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) in consumers may be the silver bullet long sought after in nutrition and oral therapeutics. However, the majority of scientists consider the transfer and regulation of consumer's gene activity by these diet-derived miRNAs to be a fantasy akin to spotting a unicorn. Nevertheless, groups like Dr. Chen-Yu Zhang's lab in Nanjing University have stockpiled breathtaking amounts of data to shoot down these naysayers. Meanwhile, Dr. Ken Witwer at John Hopkins has steadfastly cautioned the field to beware of fallacies caused by contamination, technical artifacts, and confirmation bias. Here, Dr. Witwer and Dr. Zhang share their realities of dietary miRNAs by answering five questions related to this controversial field.

Keywords: Biotechnology; Cross-kingdom; Diet; Genetically engineered; Microbiome; Plan; miRNA; sRNA.

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References

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1. Laubier J, Castille J, Le Guillou S, Le Provost F. No effect of an elevated miR-30b level in mouse milk on its level in pup tissues. RNA Biol. 2015;12(1):26–9. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2015.1017212. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
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1. Brown BD, Gentner B, Cantore A, Colleoni S, Amendola M, Zingale A, Baccarini A, Lazzari G, Galli C, Naldini L. Endogenous microRNA can be broadly exploited to regulate transgene expression according to tissue, lineage and differentiation state. Nat Biotechnol. 2007;25(12):1457–67. doi: 10.1038/nbt1372. - DOI - PubMed
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[1] Snow JW, Hale AE, Isaacs SK, Baggish AL, Chan SY. Ineffective delivery of diet-derived microRNAs to recipient animal organisms. RNA Biol. 2013;10(7):1107–16. doi: 10.4161/rna.24909. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Snow JW, Hale AE, Isaacs SK, Baggish AL, Chan SY. Ineffective delivery of diet-derived microRNAs to recipient animal organisms. RNA Biol. 2013;10(7):1107–16. doi: 10.4161/rna.24909. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Laubier J, Castille J, Le Guillou S, Le Provost F. No effect of an elevated miR-30b level in mouse milk on its level in pup tissues. RNA Biol. 2015;12(1):26–9. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2015.1017212. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Laubier J, Castille J, Le Guillou S, Le Provost F. No effect of an elevated miR-30b level in mouse milk on its level in pup tissues. RNA Biol. 2015;12(1):26–9. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2015.1017212. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Title AC, Denzler R, Stoffel M. Uptake and function studies of maternal milk-derived microRNAs. J Biol Chem. 2015;290(39):23680–91. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.676734. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Title AC, Denzler R, Stoffel M. Uptake and function studies of maternal milk-derived microRNAs. J Biol Chem. 2015;290(39):23680–91. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.676734. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Brown BD, Gentner B, Cantore A, Colleoni S, Amendola M, Zingale A, Baccarini A, Lazzari G, Galli C, Naldini L. Endogenous microRNA can be broadly exploited to regulate transgene expression according to tissue, lineage and differentiation state. Nat Biotechnol. 2007;25(12):1457–67. doi: 10.1038/nbt1372. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Brown BD, Gentner B, Cantore A, Colleoni S, Amendola M, Zingale A, Baccarini A, Lazzari G, Galli C, Naldini L. Endogenous microRNA can be broadly exploited to regulate transgene expression according to tissue, lineage and differentiation state. Nat Biotechnol. 2007;25(12):1457–67. doi: 10.1038/nbt1372. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Witwer K. Hypothetical plant-mammal small RNA communication: packaging and stoichiometry considerations. Internet, Springer International Publishing. 2016.

[10] Witwer K. Hypothetical plant-mammal small RNA communication: packaging and stoichiometry considerations. Internet, Springer International Publishing. 2016.

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Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet?

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Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet?

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