Targeting RNAs to prevent heart attacks

The functional consequence of MIR-143HG loss on the development of atherosclerosis

When protein molecules are produced from genes contained within DNA, there is an intermediate molecule called RNA that, until recently, was thought to simply be there to produce the protein. Now, scientists know that there are hundreds of thousands of RNA molecules in the human genome and that they have important functions in health and disease. Professor Andrew Baker is interested in a group of these molecules called long non-coding RNAs. He has found one called miR-143HG that seems to be altered during the development of fatty deposits in the arteries – a process called atherosclerosis. When these fatty ‘plaques’ in arteries become unstable, they can rupture causing blood clots and heart attacks. In this fellowship, Professor Baker is investigating exactly what miR-143HG is doing in the cells that line the blood vessel wall. In addition to studying its function in cells, he will also use mice that have been engineered without miR-143HG molecule to look at how this affects atherosclerosis and the stability of the fatty plaques. Little is known about the impact of long non-coding RNAs on heart and circulatory diseases. This study will provide a deeper understanding these molecules and could lead to ways to prevent the dangerous "rupture" of atherosclerotic plaques.