REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology
This article is part of the Research TopicDecoding tRNA dynamics in neuroimmune disorders: From mechanistic insights to innovative therapiesView all articles
Decoding tRNA Dynamics in Neuroimmune Disorders: Mechanistic Insights, Diagnostic Innovations, and Therapeutic Opportunities
Provisionally accepted
- West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Transfer RNA (tRNA) and its derivatives, once regarded solely as translational adaptors, are now recognized as pivotal regulators of neuroimmune homeostasis. Dysregulated tRNA biogenesis, stress-induced fragmentation, and chemical modifications are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders, including multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. This review synthesizes emerging evidence on tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), tRNA-modifying enzymes, and mitochondrial tRNA variants as drivers of immune dysregulation, glial activation, and neuronal injury. We highlight innovative diagnostic biomarkers (e.g., plasma tsRNAs, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multifunctional protein 1) and therapeutic strategies targeting tRNA modification pathways (e.g., queuine analogs, tRNA ligase inhibitors). By bridging tRNA biology with neuroimmunology, this work underscores the translational potential of tRNA-centric approaches in managing complex neurological diseases.
Keywords: tRNA modifications, tsRNAs, Neuroinflammation, Autoimmune encephalopathy, Biomarker Discovery, Precision immunology
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liang, Wang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Li Zhang, zhanglihk@126.com
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