Epigenetic Modifications and Potential New Treatment Targets in Diabetic Retinopathy

Figure 2

Scheme of miRNA-induced epigenetic modifications. miRNA modulates gene expression in various manners: (i) by directly binding to DNA into the gene promoter region; (ii) by miRNA binding to the 3′-untranslated region of target genes, leading to either posttranscriptional silencing and translational repression or RNA degradation, and miRNAs which can interact with transcription factors and RNA-binding proteins that regulate gene transcription and RNA processing. The binding of miRNA to transcription factors and to DNA regions leads to epigenetic modification of the chromatin, which in turn participate to DR progression.