MicroRNAs in equine veterinary science.

Summary

# Editorial Summary: MicroRNAs in Equine Veterinary Science MicroRNAs—diminutive non-coding RNA molecules—represent an increasingly important avenue for understanding disease mechanisms in horses, operating through post-transcriptional suppression of gene expression across numerous cellular pathways. Hollis and Starkey's 2018 review synthesises the existing knowledge of how these regulatory molecules function and examines their dysregulation in equine pathology, establishing a framework for their nomenclature and mechanisms of action. The authors highlight that aberrant microRNA expression correlates with disease development and progression, positioning these biomarkers as potentially valuable diagnostic and therapeutic targets within equine medicine. Current evidence suggests applications ranging from disease detection and prognosis to treatment development, though the field remains relatively nascent compared with human and laboratory animal models. For equine practitioners, awareness of microRNA research trajectories is warranted, particularly given the diagnostic potential these biomarkers may offer in conditions where conventional clinical pathology has reached its limits—though clinical translation of this science remains largely prospective.

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Key Findings

• •MicroRNAs regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and their dysregulation is associated with disease development
• •MicroRNA expression patterns differ between normal and diseased equine tissues
• •MicroRNAs have potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications in equine medicine

Conditions Studied

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