Mitochondria: One of the destinations of miRNAs

The cellular processes are controlled by a narrow range of mRNA and proteins levels, where small RNAs (sRNAs) known as miRNAs play a critical role. The spatial and temporal regulation of miRNA processing components and mature miRNA is emerging. The recent studies suggest that mitochondria are one of the destinations of pre as well as mature miRNAs. The role of mitochondria extends beyond energy metabolism to many other cellular processes like metabolism, cell death and inflammation. The new found destination of miRNAs suggest the role of mitochondria in monitoring site specific regulations of proteins as well as the function of mitochondria. The studies in this direction will decipher the novel role of mitochondria-associated miRNAs in different cellular processes. This review is focussed on the recent studies demonstrating the presence of miRNAs in mitochondria and its possible significance in different cellular and physiological conditions. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V, and Mitochondria Research Society. All rights reserved.