miRNAs as Predictors of Barrier Integrity

The human body has several barriers that protect its integrity and shield it from mechanical, chemical, and microbial harm. The various barriers include the skin, intestinal and respiratory epithelia, blood-brain barrier (BBB), and immune system. In the present review, the focus is on the physical barriers that are formed by cell layers. The barrier function is influenced by the molecular microenvironment of the cells forming the barriers. The integrity of the barrier cell layers is maintained by the intricate balance of protein expression that is partly regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs) both in the intracellular space and the extracellular microenvironment. The detection of changes in miRNA patterns has become a major focus of diagnostic, prognostic, and disease progression, as well as therapy-response, markers using a great variety of detection systems in recent years. In the present review, we highlight the importance of liquid biopsies in assessing barrier integrity and challenges in differential miRNA detection.

Automated summary

The human body has multiple barriers to protect it from harm and maintain its integrity. These barriers include the skin, intestinal and respiratory epithelia, blood-brain barrier, and immune system. This review focuses on the physical barriers formed by cell layers and emphasizes the role of microRNA in maintaining the integrity of these barriers. Detecting changes in microRNA patterns has become important in diagnostics, prognosis, and therapy-response markers. The review also highlights the challenges in using liquid biopsies for assessing barrier integrity and differential microRNA detection.