Expression profiles and functional analysis of tRNA-derived small RNAs in epicardial adipose tissue of patients with heart failure

Metabolic rewiring and inter-organ crosstalk in diabetic HFpEF

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) represents a significant and growing clinical challenge. Initially, for an extended period, HFpEF was simply considered as a subset of heart failure, manifesting as haemodynamic disorders such as hypertension, myocardial hypertrophy, and diastolic dysfunction. However, the rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes has reshaped the HFpEF phenotype, with nearly 45% of cases coexisting with diabetes. Currently, it is recognized as a multi-system disorder that involves the heart, liver, kidneys, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, along with immune and inflammatory signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize the landscape of metabolic rewiring and the crosstalk between the heart and other organs/systems (e.g., adipose, gut, liver and hematopoiesis system) in diabetic HFpEF for the first instance. A diverse array of metabolites and cytokines play pivotal roles in this intricate crosstalk process, with metabolic rewiring, chronic inflammatory responses, immune dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, and myocardial fibrosis identified as the central mechanisms at the heart of this complex interplay. The liver-heart axis links nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and HFpEF through shared lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis pathways, while the gut-heart axis involves dysbiosis-driven metabolites (e.g., trimethylamine N-oxide, indole-3-propionic acid and short-chain fatty acids) impacting cardiac function and inflammation. Adipose-heart crosstalk highlights epicardial adipose tissue as a source of local inflammation and mechanical stress, whereas the hematopoietic system contributes via immune cell activation and cytokine release. We contend that, based on the viewpoints expounded in this review, breaking this inter-organ/system vicious cycle is the linchpin of treating diabetic HFpEF.

The Role of tRNA-Derived Small RNAs (tsRNAs) in Regulating Cell Death of Cardiovascular Diseases

Transfer RNA is a class of non-coding RNA that plays a role in amino acid translocation during protein synthesis. After specific modification, the cleaved fragment is called tRNA-derived small RNA. The advancement of bioinformatics technology has led to an increase in the visibility of small RNA derived from tRNA, and their functions in biological processes are being revealed. These include gene silencing, transcription and translation, epigenetics, and cell death. These properties have led to the implication of tsRNAs in various diseases. Although the current research mainly focuses on the role of tRNA-derived small RNA in cancer, there is mounting evidence that they are also strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, including cardiac hypertrophy, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and myocarditis. Therefore, the regulatory role of tRNA-derived small RNA in cardiovascular disease will become an emerging therapeutic strategy. This review succinctly summarizes the characteristics, classification, and regulatory effect of tsRNA. By exploring the mechanism of tsRNA, it will provide a new tool for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease.

The function and therapeutic potential of transfer RNA-derived small RNAs in cardiovascular diseases: A review

Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) molecules derived from tRNA, including tRNA derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA halfs (tiRNAs). tsRNAs can affect cell functions by participating in gene expression regulation, translation regulation, intercellular signal transduction, and immune response. They have been shown to play an important role in various human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Targeted regulation of tsRNAs expression can affect the progression of CVDs. The tsRNAs induced by pathological conditions can be detected when released into the extracellular, giving them enormous potential as disease biomarkers. Here, we review the biogenesis, degradation process and related functional mechanisms of tsRNAs, and discuss the research progress and application prospects of tsRNAs in different CVDs, to provide a new perspective on the treatment of CVDs.

Novel insights into transfer RNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA) in cardio-metabolic diseases

Cardio-metabolic diseases, including a cluster of metabolic disorders and their secondary affections on cardiovascular physiology, are gradually brought to the forefront by researchers due to their high prevalence and mortality, as well as an unidentified pathogenesis. tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), cleaved by several specific enzymes and once considered as some "metabolic junks" in the past, have been proved to possess numerous functions in human bodies. More interestingly, such a potential also seems to influence the progression of cardio-metabolic diseases to some extent. In this review, the biogenesis, classification and mechanisms of tsRNAs will be discussed based on some latest studies, and their relations with several cardio-metabolic diseases will be highlighted in sequence. Lastly, some future prospects, such as their clinical applications as biomarkers and therapeutic targets will also be mentioned, in order to provide researchers with a comprehensive understanding of the research status of tsRNAs as well as its association with cardio-metabolic diseases, thus presenting as a beacon to indicate directions for the next stage of study.