RNA Biology

The musculoskeletal system is a dynamic, adaptive and self-healing system that plays numerous critical physiological functions in vertebrates, including locomotion, supporting the body, protecting organs, hematopoietic function, storing minerals, and endocrine function. Moreover, the musculoskeletal system is a finely mechanosensitive system and constantly adapts its shape and internal structure to mechanical stimuli. In the past few years, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) including miRNA, circRNA and lncRNA, have been proven to play an essential role in controlling target gene expression underlying various processes of bone cells, thus dysregulation of ncRNAs is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of musculoskeletal diseases including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, osteosarcoma and amyotrophy.

The focus of the current Article Collection will be to provide insight into the relationship between ncRNAs and bone development, metabolism, senescence, mechanotransduction, osteoimmunology, and ncRNAs involvement during musculoskeletal disease (e.g. osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, osteosarcoma and amyotrophy) development and progression. We welcome Original Research and Review articles that cover, but are not limited to:

• The role and underlying mechanism of ncRNAs in the activities (proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, migration, cell senescence) of musculoskeletal cells (osteoblast, osteoclast, MSCs, osteocyte, chondrocyte and myoblast) in musculoskeletal development, mechanotransduction and metabolism
• The function of ncRNA in crosstalk between bone with other organs, tissues and systems such as muscle, nerves system, immune system, reproductive system
• The involvement of ncRNAs in gut microbiota-bone axis
• The ncRNAs involvement in osteoimmunology and musculoskeletal related disease (e.g. osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, osteosarcoma and amyotrophy)
• RNA synthesis technology and the possible RNA therapies in musculoskeletal disease
• Novel methods for musculoskeletal disease research

Please contact Ashley Ambros at [email protected] with any queries regarding this Article Collection.

Professor Airong Qian: M. M. in Pathology, Ph.D. in Cell Biology and with 20 years’ academic working experience; Principal inventor of more than 20 patents and more than 150 publications; Research directions including noncoding RNA and bone metabolism disease, mechanisms of osteoporosis induced by mechanical unloading and aging, space biology and space biotechnology research and application and bone biomechanics.

Dr. Zhihao Chen: Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and with 3 years’ academic working experience; Principal inventor of more than 10 patents and more than 50 publications; Research directions including noncoding RNA and bone metabolism disease, mechanisms of osteoporosis induced by mechanical unloading and aging, space biology and space biotechnology research and application and bone biomechanics.

Dr. Ye Tian: Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and with 9 years’ academic working experience; Principal inventor of more than 10 patents and more than 60 publications; Research directions including drug metabolism and pharmaceutical analysis, toxicology, regulation of microRNA on drug metabolizing enzymes and noncoding RNA and bone metabolism disease.

Disclosure Statement: Prof. Qian, Dr. Chen, and Dr. Tian have no conflicts of interest to disclose regarding this work.

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