MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play critical roles in regulating physiological function, and are becoming worldwide research hot spot in brain development and diseases. However, the exact value of miRNAs in brain physiological and pathological processes remain to be fully elucidated, which is vital for the application of miRNAs as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers for brain diseases. MicroRNA-7 (miR-7), as a highly expressed miRNA molecule in the mammalian brain, is well documented to play a critical role in development of various diseases. Importantly, accumulating evidence has shown that miR-7 is involved in a range of developmental and pathological processes of brain. Expressively, miR-7, encoded by three genes located different chromosomes, is dominantly expressed in neurons with sensory or neurosecretory. Moreover, the expression of miR-7 is regulated at three levels including gene transcription, process of primary and precursor sequence and formation of mature sequence. Physiologically, miR-7 principally governs the physiological development of Pituitary gland, Optic nervous system and Cerebral cortex. Pathologically, miR-7 can regulate multiple genes thereby manipulating the process of various brain diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, neuroinflammation, and mental disorders and so on. These emerging studies have shown that miR-7, a representative member of miRNA family, might be a novel intrinsic regulatory molecule involved in the physiological and pathological process of brain. Therefore, in-depth studies on the role of miR-7 in brain physiology and pathology undoubtedly not only provide a light on the roles of miRNAs in brain development and diseases, but also are much helpful for ultimate development of therapeutic strategies against brain diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of current scientific knowledge regarding the expression and function of miR-7 in development and disease of brain and raise many issues involved in the relationship between miR-7 and brain physiological and pathological processes.

中文翻译：

---

MicroRNA-7：在大脑生理和病理过程中的表达和功能。

微小RNA（miRNA）是一类小的非编码RNA，它们在转录后水平上调节基因表达，并在调节生理功能中发挥关键作用，并且正在成为大脑发育和疾病的全球研究热点。但是，miRNA在大脑生理和病理过程中的确切价值仍有待充分阐明，这对于将miRNA用作脑疾病的诊断，预后和治疗生物标志物至关重要。MicroRNA-7（miR-7）作为哺乳动物脑中高度表达的miRNA分子，有充分的文献证明在多种疾病的发展中起着至关重要的作用。重要的是，越来越多的证据表明miR-7参与了大脑的一系列发育和病理过程。表达miR-7，由位于不同染色体上的三个基因编码，在具有感觉或神经分泌功能的神经元中主要表达。而且，miR-7的表达被调节在三个水平，包括基因转录，一级和前体序列的过程以及成熟序列的形成。在生理上，miR-7主要控制垂体，视神经系统和大脑皮层的生理发育。病理上，miR-7可以调节多个基因，从而操纵各种脑部疾病的过程，包括神经退行性疾病，神经炎症和精神障碍等。这些新兴的研究表明，miR-7是miRNA家族的代表成员，可能是一种参与大脑生理和病理过程的新型内在调节分子。因此，毫无疑问，对miR-7在脑生理和病理学中的作用的深入研究不仅为阐明miRNA在脑发育和疾病中的作用提供了亮光，而且对于最终发展针对脑疾病的治疗策略也很有帮助。在这篇综述中，我们概述了有关miR-7在大脑发育和疾病中的表达和功能的当前科学知识，并提出了许多与miR-7与大脑生理和病理过程之间的关系有关的问题。