Endocrine Abstracts

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that control the expression of 70% of the protein-coding genes. Since their discovery in the late 1990s, the function of miRNAs in the context of biological pathways that are essential to bone homeostasis has been investigated. This has expanded our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bone health and disease and led to the identification of novel drug and biomarker candidates. From a diagnostic viewpoint the seminal finding that miRNAs can be actively or passively released from cells into biofluids such as serum or urine (“circulating miRNAs”), motivated researchers to investigate circulating miRNAs in several pathologic conditions, including bone diseases. Thus, several exploratory studies in cohorts representing various types of bone diseases have been performed. In this meet-the-expert session, the important molecular basics of intracellular miRNA function and extracellular release will be discussed, including recommendations for best (pre-)analytical practices and documentation standards for circulating miRNA research. In the second part evidence from pre-clinical and clinical studies that have investigated the utility of microRNAs as biomarkers and drug targets in musculoskeletal disorders will be presented, with a specific focus on type-2 diabetic osteopathy.