microRNAs

Molecules known to play in role in Müller glia development and function are microRNAs. microRNAs are small molecules present in every cell of the body that act as translational repressors. That means mRNA (transcribed from DNA) is not translated into protein. About 1000 different microRNAs have been identified so far and it is known that they have a huge impact in development, independent from tissue origin and cell type. However, their expression pattern can vary between different cell types, developmental stages (maturation of a cell), as well as physiological and pathophysiological conditions. For the latter, there is increasing evidence that microRNAs play an important role in various diseases and can be used as a biomarker for certain diseases.