Science Letters

83-88

Authors: Maale Ravinder Goud, Zhang Ai Hua

Mitochondria supply eukaryotic cells with energy and perform other essential cellular functions. Mitochondrial functions are regulated by the products of both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, which include micro (mi)RNAs, the 18- to 24-nucleotide non-coding RNAs that provide post-transcriptional inhibition of target gene expression. Recent studies have shown that miRNAs are expressed in mitochondria and regulate mitochondrial energy metabolism, apoptosis, and biogenesis. This review discusses the role of miRNAs in the regulation of mitochondrial functions. We firstly provide an overview of miRNA expression in mitochondria and regulation of mitochondrial metabolism. This review also addresses the role of miRNAs in the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and mitochondrial dynamic equilibrium. The overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the role of miRNAs in mitochondrial autophagy and cancer will provide basis for the future research.