Post-transcriptional regulation in intervertebral disc degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration is the leading cause of low back pain, which is prevalent in aging individuals. Numerous pathogenic factors, including loading burden, injury, and aging, contribute to intervertebral disc degeneration via various mechanisms, which are tightly regulated at different levels, including by post-transcriptional regulation. Emerging evidence suggests that RNA processing is crucial for the regulation of these factors and that multiple post-transcriptional regulatory pathways work independently of one another to enable precise control of transcripts throughout intervertebral disc homeostasis maintenance. Moreover, aberrant post-transcriptional regulation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration, broadening insights into how post-transcriptional alterations affect the homeostasis and function of intervertebral discs. In this review, the mechanisms and characteristics of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms are introduced, and their emerging functions in intervertebral disc degeneration are discussed. The summarized mechanisms and interconnections of post-transcriptional regulation provide a strong basis for the development of new therapeutics for repairing degenerative discs.