Zaiou M. Noncoding RNAs as additional mediators of epigenetic regulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28(35): 5111-5128 [PMID: 36188722 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i35.5111]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Mohamed Zaiou, PhD, Professor, Institut Jean Lamour, UMR CNRS 7198, CNRS, University of Lorraine, 2 allée André Guinier, BP 50840, Nancy 54011, France. mohamed.zaiou@univ-lorraine.fr
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2022; 28(35): 5111-5128 Published online Sep 21, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i35.5111
Noncoding RNAs as additional mediators of epigenetic regulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Mohamed Zaiou
Mohamed Zaiou, Institut Jean Lamour, UMR CNRS 7198, CNRS, University of Lorraine, Nancy 54011, France
Author contributions: Zaiou M conducted the literature review and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohamed Zaiou, PhD, Professor, Institut Jean Lamour, UMR CNRS 7198, CNRS, University of Lorraine, 2 allée André Guinier, BP 50840, Nancy 54011, France. mohamed.zaiou@univ-lorraine.fr
Received: July 15, 2022 Peer-review started: July 15, 2022 First decision: July 25, 2022 Revised: July 28, 2022 Accepted: August 25, 2022 Article in press: August 25, 2022 Published online: September 21, 2022
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most common cause of chronic liver disorder worldwide. It represents a spectrum that includes a continuum of different clinical entities ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which can evolve to cirrhosis and in some cases to hepatocellular carcinoma, ultimately leading to liver failure. The pathogenesis of NAFLD and the mechanisms underlying its progression to more pathological stages are not completely understood. Besides genetic factors, evidence indicates that epigenetic mechanisms occurring in response to environmental stimuli also contribute to the disease risk. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs, are one of the epigenetic factors that play key regulatory roles in the development of NAFLD. As the field of ncRNAs is rapidly evolving, the present review aims to explore the current state of knowledge on the roles of these RNA species in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, highlight relevant mechanisms by which some ncRNAs can modulate regulatory networks implicated in NAFLD, and discuss key challenges and future directions facing current research in the hopes of developing ncRNAs as next-generation non-invasive diagnostics and therapies in NAFLD and subsequent progression to hepatocellular carcinoma.
Core Tip: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) covers a spectrum of hepatic pathologies, ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, all of which can evolve to cirrhosis and in some cases to hepatocellular carcinoma. There are now indications that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), a component of epigenetic mechanisms, contribute to the pathogenesis of NAFLD and may serve as potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers. However, little is known about the role of these RNA species in NAFLD and its progressive forms. This paper discusses the current state of research on the role of most clinically relevant ncRNAs in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
