Therapeutic RNA manipulation in liver disease

Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression is increasingly recognized as a model for inherited and acquired disease. Recent work has expanded understanding of the range of mechanisms that regulate several of these distinct steps, including messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing, trafficking, and/or stability. Each of these pathways is implicated in disease pathogenesis, and each represents important avenues for therapeutic intervention. This review summarizes important mechanisms controlling mRNA processing and the regulation of mRNA degradation, including the role of microRNAs and RNA binding proteins. These pathways provide important opportunities for therapeutic targeting directed at splicing and degradation in order to attenuate genetic defects in RNA metabolism. We will highlight developments in vector development and validation for therapeutic manipulation of mRNA expression with a focus on potential applications in metabolic and immunomediated liver disease.