Abstract
Background: Understanding the roles of miRNAs in osteoclasts has great potential in the diagnosis and treatment of osteolytic diseases.
Objective: The purpose of this paper was to describe the current knowledge of miRNA biogenesis and summarize recent work on the roles of miRNAs in osteoclasts.
Results: There is accumulating evidence to indicate that miRNAs constitute a novel and efficient mechanism for the regulation of gene expression.
Conclusion: Untangling the role that miRNAs play in osteoclastogenesis will illuminate new strategies and specific drug targets for the treatment of osteolytic diseases. Many questions remain, but an in-depth comprehension of the network and kinetics of miRNAs expression, and their connection with cognate genes will not be trivial, but fruitful.
Keywords: Drug targets, miRNAs, osteoclasts, osteolytic diseases, bone homeostasis, biogenesis.
Graphical Abstract