MicroRNAs: Molecular Features and Role in Cancer

Overview

Journal Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)

Specialty Biology

Date 2012 Jun 2

PMID 22652795

Citations 96

Authors

Elodie Lages

Helene Ipas

Audrey Guttin

Houssam Nesr

Francois Berger

Jean-Paul Issartel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding endogenously produced RNAs that play key roles in controlling the expression of many cellular proteins. Once they are recruited and incorporated into a ribonucleoprotein complex miRISC, they can target specific mRNAs in a miRNA sequence-dependent process and interfere in the translation into proteins of the targeted mRNAs via several mechanisms. Consequently, miRNAs can regulate many cellular pathways and processes. Dysregulation of their physiological roles may largely contribute to disease. In particular, in cancer, miRNAs can be involved in the deregulation of the expression of important genes that play key roles in tumorigenesis, tumor development, and angiogenesis and have oncogenic or tumor suppressor roles. This review focuses on the biogenesis and maturation of miRNAs, their mechanisms of gene regulation, and the way their expression is deregulated in cancer. The involvement of miRNAs in several oncogenic pathways such as angiogenesis and apoptosis, and in the inter-cellular dialog mediated by miRNA-loaded exosomes as well as the development of new therapeutical strategies based on miRNAs will be discussed.

Citing Articles

A Glimmer of Hope for Patients with a T3 Transformation Zone: miRNAs Are Potential Biomarkers for Cervical Dysplasia.

Wittenborn J, Flasshove E, Kupec T, Najjari L, Stickeler E, Maurer J Diagnostics (Basel). 2023; 13(24).

PMID: 38132183 PMC: 10742976. DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13243599.

Systematic analysis of expression profiles of HMGB family members for prognostic application in non-small cell lung cancer.

Zheng X, Wang X, He Y, Ge H Front Mol Biosci. 2022; 9:844618.

PMID: 35923467 PMC: 9340210. DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.844618.

Down-Regulation of miR-194-5p for Predicting Metastasis in Breast Cancer Cells.

Yen Y, Yang J, Chang J, Tsai S Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(1).

PMID: 35008751 PMC: 8745262. DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010325.

MicroRNAs: Their Role in Metabolism, Tumor Microenvironment, and Therapeutic Implications in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Shiah S, Chou S, Chang J Cancers (Basel). 2021; 13(22).

PMID: 34830755 PMC: 8615702. DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225604.

MicroRNAs as Potential Predictors of Response to CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatment.

Andrikopoulou A, Shalit A, Zografos E, Koutsoukos K, Korakiti A, Liontos M Cancers (Basel). 2021; 13(16).

PMID: 34439268 PMC: 8391635. DOI: 10.3390/cancers13164114.

References

Krek A, Grun D, Poy M, Wolf R, Rosenberg L, Epstein E . Combinatorial microRNA target predictions. Nat Genet. 2005; 37(5):495-500. DOI: 10.1038/ng1536. View

He H, Jazdzewski K, Li W, Liyanarachchi S, Nagy R, Volinia S . The role of microRNA genes in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005; 102(52):19075-80. PMC: 1323209. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0509603102. View

Ovcharenko D, Kelnar K, Johnson C, Leng N, Brown D . Genome-scale microRNA and small interfering RNA screens identify small RNA modulators of TRAIL-induced apoptosis pathway. Cancer Res. 2007; 67(22):10782-8. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-1484. View

Skog J, Wurdinger T, van Rijn S, Meijer D, Gainche L, Sena-Esteves M . Glioblastoma microvesicles transport RNA and proteins that promote tumour growth and provide diagnostic biomarkers. Nat Cell Biol. 2008; 10(12):1470-6. PMC: 3423894. DOI: 10.1038/ncb1800. View

Harfe B . MicroRNAs in vertebrate development. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2005; 15(4):410-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2005.06.012. View

Yan Z, Hu H, Jiang X, Maierhofer V, Neb E, He L . Widespread expression of piRNA-like molecules in somatic tissues. Nucleic Acids Res. 2011; 39(15):6596-607. PMC: 3159465. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr298. View

Palanisamy V, Sharma S, Deshpande A, Zhou H, Gimzewski J, Wong D . Nanostructural and transcriptomic analyses of human saliva derived exosomes. PLoS One. 2010; 5(1):e8577. PMC: 2797607. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008577. View

Cimmino A, Calin G, Fabbri M, Iorio M, Ferracin M, Shimizu M . miR-15 and miR-16 induce apoptosis by targeting BCL2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005; 102(39):13944-9. PMC: 1236577. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0506654102. View

Boominathan L . The tumor suppressors p53, p63, and p73 are regulators of microRNA processing complex. PLoS One. 2010; 5(5):e10615. PMC: 2868896. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010615. View

10.

Seggerson K, Tang L, Moss E . Two genetic circuits repress the Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-28 after translation initiation. Dev Biol. 2002; 243(2):215-25. DOI: 10.1006/dbio.2001.0563. View

11.

Chen Y, Gorski D . Regulation of angiogenesis through a microRNA (miR-130a) that down-regulates antiangiogenic homeobox genes GAX and HOXA5. Blood. 2007; 111(3):1217-26. PMC: 2214763. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2007-07-104133. View

12.

Saunders M, Liang H, Li W . Human polymorphism at microRNAs and microRNA target sites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007; 104(9):3300-5. PMC: 1805605. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0611347104. View

13.

Kosaka N, Iguchi H, Ochiya T . Circulating microRNA in body fluid: a new potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Cancer Sci. 2010; 101(10):2087-92. PMC: 11159200. DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2010.01650.x. View

14.

Saito Y, Jones P . Epigenetic activation of tumor suppressor microRNAs in human cancer cells. Cell Cycle. 2006; 5(19):2220-2. DOI: 10.4161/cc.5.19.3340. View

15.

Lages E, Guttin A, El Atifi M, Ramus C, Ipas H, Dupre I . MicroRNA and target protein patterns reveal physiopathological features of glioma subtypes. PLoS One. 2011; 6(5):e20600. PMC: 3105101. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020600. View

16.

Ambs S, Prueitt R, Yi M, Hudson R, Howe T, Petrocca F . Genomic profiling of microRNA and messenger RNA reveals deregulated microRNA expression in prostate cancer. Cancer Res. 2008; 68(15):6162-70. PMC: 2597340. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-0144. View

17.

Song J, Liu J, Tolia N, Schneiderman J, Smith S, Martienssen R . The crystal structure of the Argonaute2 PAZ domain reveals an RNA binding motif in RNAi effector complexes. Nat Struct Biol. 2003; 10(12):1026-32. DOI: 10.1038/nsb1016. View

18.

Nasser M, Datta J, Nuovo G, Kutay H, Motiwala T, Majumder S . Down-regulation of micro-RNA-1 (miR-1) in lung cancer. Suppression of tumorigenic property of lung cancer cells and their sensitization to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis by miR-1. J Biol Chem. 2008; 283(48):33394-405. PMC: 2586284. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M804788200. View

19.

Nikolic I, Plate K, Schmidt M . EGFL7 meets miRNA-126: an angiogenesis alliance. J Angiogenes Res. 2010; 2(1):9. PMC: 2901201. DOI: 10.1186/2040-2384-2-9. View

20.

le Sage C, Nagel R, Egan D, Schrier M, Mesman E, Mangiola A . Regulation of the p27(Kip1) tumor suppressor by miR-221 and miR-222 promotes cancer cell proliferation. EMBO J. 2007; 26(15):3699-708. PMC: 1949005. DOI: 10.1038/sj.emboj.7601790. View