Sustained expression of microRNA-155 in hematopoietic stem cells causes a myeloproliferative disorder

MicroRNA expression in lymphoid malignancies: new hope for diagnosis and therapy?

microRNAs are a newly discovered class of short (∼22 nt) naturally occurring single-stranded RNA molecules that regulate the expression of target genes post-transcriptionally. Despite only being discovered 7 years ago, microRNAs have been implicated as key regulatory molecules in nearly every biological process examined so far and abnormal expression of microRNAs have been linked to many forms of disease including cancer where they can function as both tumour-suppressors and oncogenes. So why are microRNAs causing so much excitement? And will this excitement translate into new medical breakthroughs? This review attempts to answer these questions in the wider context of cancer, focusing on the role that microRNAs play in normal lymphoid development and malignancy.

Interdependent roles for hypoxia inducible factor and nuclear factor-kappaB in hypoxic inflammation

Decreased oxygen availability (hypoxia) is a hallmark feature of the microenvironment in a number of chronic inflammatory conditions including arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recent advances in our understanding of oxygen-dependent cell signalling have uncovered several mechanisms by which hypoxia impacts upon the development of inflammation through the coordinated expression of adaptive, inflammatory and apoptotic genes. Two central transcription factors involved in the regulation of this response are hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) which display different degrees of sensitivity to activation during hypoxia. Furthermore, HIF and NF-kappaB demonstrate an intimate interdependence at several mechanistic levels. Recent studies indicate that these pathways may represent important new therapeutic targets in diseases characterized by hypoxic inflammation.