A miR‐29a‐driven negative feedback loop regulates peripheral glucocorticoid receptor signaling

What is it about?

Glucocorticoid hormones are critical regulators of human metabolism. In addition, they are used pharmacologically to treat a number of inflammatory diseases. However, therapy success is limited in many cases due to the occurrence of glucocorticoid resistance, i.e. a developing non-responsiveness of the treated patient. In this study, we now identify a mechanism of glucocorticoid resistance that relies on the induction of a small non-coding RNA, i.e. miRNA29. While miRNA29 is elevated by glucocorticoids in different tissues, it feeds back to the glucocorticoid receptor and inhibits its activity, thereby establishing a self-controlled negative feedback. Thus, the inhibition of miRNA29 could serve as a future tool to prevent glucocorticoid resistance in affected patients.

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