AUTHOR=Duggirala Aparna , Delogu Francesca , Angelini Timothy G. , Smith Tanya , Caputo Massimo , Rajakaruna Cha , Emanueli Costanza 

TITLE=Non coding RNAs in aortic aneurysmal disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2015

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2015.00125

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2015.00125

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=An aneurysm is a local dilatation of a vessel wall which is >50% its original diameter. Within

the spectrum of cardiovascular diseases, aortic aneurysms are among the most challenging 

to treat. Most patients present acutely after aneurysm rupture or dissection from a previous 

asymptomatic condition and are managed by open surgical or endovascular repair. In 

addition, patients may harbour concurrent disease contraindicating surgical intervention. 

Collectively, these factors have driven the search for alternative methods of identifying, 

monitoring and treating aortic aneurisms using less invasive approaches. Non-coding RNA 

(ncRNAs) are emerging as new fundamental regulators of gene expression. The small 

microRNAs have opened the field of ncRNAs capturing the attention of basic and clinical 

scientists for their potential to become new therapeutic targets and clinical biomarkers for 

aortic aneurysm. More recently, long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) have started to be actively 

investigated, leading to first exciting reports, which further suggest their important and yet 

largely unexplored contribution to vascular physiology and disease.