Research progress on the role of microRNAs of microRNA-15 family in cardiac diseases

The microRNA-15 (miR-15) family consists of six miRNAs which share the same "seed sequence", and participates in diverse biological processes, including cell apoptosis, differentiation, proliferation, cell cycle and carcinogenesis. Recently, many researches have indicated the important role that aberrantly regulated miR-15 family members play in the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases. The present review is intended to elucidate the changes in the expression of miR-15 family members in various cardiac diseases, discuss the potential clinical values, and summary their effects on the pathogenesis of the diseases. MiR-15 family is closely associated with cardiac diseases and therapies targeting on the family will facilitate the treatment of the diseases in the future. Key words: MicroRNA; MicroRNA-15; Cardiac disease