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microRNA in Human Reproduction

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microRNA: Medical Evidence

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 888))

Abstract

microRNAs constitute a large family of approximately 21-nucleotide-long, noncoding RNAs. They emerged more than 20 years ago as key posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. The regulatory role of these small RNA molecules has recently begun to be explored in the human reproductive system. microRNAs have been shown to play an important role in control of reproductive functions, especially in the processes of oocyte maturation, folliculogenesis, corpus luteum function, implantation, and early embryonic development. Knockout of Dicer, the cytoplasmic enzyme that cleaves the pre-miRNA to its mature form, results in postimplantation embryonic lethality in several animal models, attributing to these small RNA vital functions in reproduction and development. Another intriguing characteristic of microRNAs is their presence in body fluids in a remarkably stable form that is protected from endogenous RNase activity.

In this chapter we will describe the current knowledge on microRNAs, specifically relating to human gonadal cells. We will focus on their role in the ovarian physiologic process and ovulation dysfunction, regulation of spermatogenesis and male fertility, and putative involvement in human normal and aberrant trophoblast differentiation and invasion through the process of placentation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Magda and Richard Hoffman Center for Human Placenta Research, Hadassah Mt. Scopus—Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Iris Eisenberg, Debra Goldman-Wohl & Tal Imbar

  2. Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Noora Kotaja

Authors
  1. Iris Eisenberg
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  2. Noora Kotaja
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  3. Debra Goldman-Wohl
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  4. Tal Imbar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tal Imbar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA

    Gaetano Santulli

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Eisenberg, I., Kotaja, N., Goldman-Wohl, D., Imbar, T. (2015). microRNA in Human Reproduction. In: Santulli, G. (eds) microRNA: Medical Evidence. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 888. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22671-2_18

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