Team led by Scripps research scientists discovers body’s qwn molecular protection against arthritis

An international team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute in California and the National Research Institute for Child Health and Development in Japan has discovered that a natural molecule in the body counters the progression of osteoarthritis. The findings could one day lead to new therapies for some common diseases of aging.

The study will be featured as the cover story of the June 1 print edition of the journal.

The molecule the team studied, microRNA 140 (miR-140), is part of a recently discovered category of genetic molecules-''microRNAs'' or ''non-coding RNAs'' which do not code for proteins, yet often play a vital role in gene expression.

''This is the first report showing the critical role of a specific non-coding RNA in bone development,'' said Hiroshi Asahara, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of molecular and experimental medicine at Scripps Research. ''Moreover, surprisingly, we observed that microRNA 140 acts against arthritis progression. This is among the first evidence that non-coding RNA plays a key role in age-dependent diseases.''

''This finding may lead to a new therapeutic strategy for osteoarthritis,'' said Shigeru Miyaki, senior research associate in the Asahara lab and first author of the paper with Tempei Sato of the National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, ''as well as for conditions that share a similar mechanism, such as spinal disc degeneration.''

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