The emerging role of microRNAs in asthma

Asthma is a common chronic airways disease that worldwide affects people from all ethnic backgrounds. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of 18-25 nucleotides that have been shown to regulate gene expression via the RNA interference pathway and found to play fundamental roles in diverse biological and pathological processes. Intriguingly, changes in the expression of several miRNAs are associated with development of asthma. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the role of miRNAs in asthma to both better understand the pathogenesis of this disease and aid in the formulation of more effective therapeutic strategies.