DALLAS, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered a tiny piece of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, helps control heart tissue and blood vessel development.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers said the microRNA's specificity to the cardiovascular system makes it a potential target for therapeutic treatments.
"Manipulating this microRNA provides a completely new way of addressing cardiovascular disorders," said Dr. Eric Olson, senior author of a study.
MicroRNAs are tiny snippets of genetic material, naturally produced by the body, that help fine-tune the production of proteins by DNA, the researchers said, noting more than 500 microRNAs have already been identified.
In the new study, the scientists focused on a specific microRNA called miR-126, which was already known to be associated with blood vessels. They discovered miR-126 is found only in a class of cells called endothelial cells, which control development of new blood vessels in embryos; repair injured blood vessels and create blood vessels to support developing tumors.
The researchers genetically engineered mice to lack miR-126, and found about 40 percent of them died before or just after birth from cardiovascular abnormalities. The surviving mice appeared normal and lived to adulthood.
The study appears in the journal Developmental Cell.
