Possible Roles of tRNA Fragments, as New Regulatory ncRNAs, in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Understanding the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has led to the successful development of molecule-targeted drugs for the treatment of RA. However, some RA patients are refractory to these treatments, suggesting that the pathological mechanism of the disease is not entirely understood. Genome and transcriptome analysis is essential for understanding the unknown pathophysiology of human diseases. Rapid and more comprehensive gene analysis technologies have revealed notable changes in the expression of coding RNA and non-coding RNA in RA patients. This review focuses on the current state of non-coding RNA research in relation to RA, especially on tRNA fragments. Interestingly, it has been found that tRNA fragments repress translation and are antiapoptotic. The association between tRNA fragments and various diseases has been studied, and this article reviews the possible role of tRNA fragments in RA.