Cell-to-cell Communication: MicroRNAs As Hormones

Overview

Journal Mol Oncol

Specialties Molecular Biology
Oncology

Date 2017 Oct 13

PMID 29024380

Citations 175

Authors

Recep Bayraktar

Katrien Van Roosbroeck

George A Calin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Mammalian cells can release different types of extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. Accumulating evidence suggests that EVs play a role in cell-to-cell communication within the tumor microenvironment. EVs' components, such as proteins, noncoding RNAs [microRNAs (miRNAs), and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)], messenger RNAs (mRNAs), DNA, and lipids, can mediate paracrine signaling in the tumor microenvironment. Recently, miRNAs encapsulated in secreted EVs have been identified in the extracellular space. Mature miRNAs that participate in intercellular communication are released from most cells, often within EVs, and disseminate through the extracellular fluid to reach remote target cells, including tumor cells, whose phenotypes they can influence by regulating mRNA and protein expression either as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes, depending on their targets. In this review, we discuss the roles of miRNAs in intercellular communication, the biological function of extracellular miRNAs, and their potential applications for diagnosis and therapeutics. We will give examples of miRNAs that behave as hormones.

Citing Articles

Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer: Structure, Function, and Clinical Application.

Marton E, Varga A, Domoszlai D, Buglyo G, Balazs A, Penyige A Cancers (Basel). 2025; 17(4).

PMID: 40002172 PMC: 11853212. DOI: 10.3390/cancers17040579.

Profiling signaling mediators for cell-cell interactions and communications with microfluidics-based single-cell analysis tools.

Yuan S, Zhang P, Zhang F, Yan S, Dong R, Wu C iScience. 2025; 28(1):111663.

PMID: 39868039 PMC: 11763584. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111663.

Assessment of salivary microRNA by RT-qPCR: Facing challenges in data interpretation for clinical diagnosis.

Van Der Hofstadt M, Cardinal A, Lepeltier M, Boulestreau J, Ouedraogo A, Kahli M PLoS One. 2024; 19(12):e0314733.

PMID: 39656703 PMC: 11630609. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314733.

miR-574-5p in epigenetic regulation and Toll-like receptor signaling.

Yang J Cell Commun Signal. 2024; 22(1):567.

PMID: 39593070 PMC: 11600836. DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01934-x.

Technical Advances and Applications of Spatial Transcriptomics.

Liang G, Yin H, Ding F GEN Biotechnol. 2024; 2(5):384-398.

PMID: 39544230 PMC: 11562938. DOI: 10.1089/genbio.2023.0032.

References

Zhang Y, Zhang D, Wang F, Xu D, Guo Y, Cui W . Serum miRNAs panel (miR-16-2*, miR-195, miR-2861, miR-497) as novel non-invasive biomarkers for detection of cervical cancer. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:17942. PMC: 4677300. DOI: 10.1038/srep17942. View

Vickers K, Palmisano B, Shoucri B, Shamburek R, Remaley A . MicroRNAs are transported in plasma and delivered to recipient cells by high-density lipoproteins. Nat Cell Biol. 2011; 13(4):423-33. PMC: 3074610. DOI: 10.1038/ncb2210. View

Hannafon B, Trigoso Y, Calloway C, Zhao Y, Lum D, Welm A . Plasma exosome microRNAs are indicative of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2016; 18(1):90. PMC: 5016889. DOI: 10.1186/s13058-016-0753-x. View

Van Roosbroeck K, Fanini F, Setoyama T, Ivan C, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Fuentes-Mattei E . Combining Anti-Mir-155 with Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Lung Cancers. Clin Cancer Res. 2016; 23(11):2891-2904. PMC: 5449263. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-1025. View

He M, Xu Z, Ding T, Kuang D, Zheng L . MicroRNA-155 regulates inflammatory cytokine production in tumor-associated macrophages via targeting C/EBPbeta. Cell Mol Immunol. 2009; 6(5):343-52. PMC: 4003217. DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2009.45. View

Zhang Y, Liu D, Chen X, Li J, Li L, Bian Z . Secreted monocytic miR-150 enhances targeted endothelial cell migration. Mol Cell. 2010; 39(1):133-44. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.06.010. View

Zhang Q, Liu L, Gong C, Shi H, Zeng Y, Wang X . Prognostic significance of tumor-associated macrophages in solid tumor: a meta-analysis of the literature. PLoS One. 2013; 7(12):e50946. PMC: 3532403. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050946. View

Kalluri R . The biology and function of fibroblasts in cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2016; 16(9):582-98. DOI: 10.1038/nrc.2016.73. View

Donnarumma E, Fiore D, Nappa M, Roscigno G, Adamo A, Iaboni M . Cancer-associated fibroblasts release exosomal microRNAs that dictate an aggressive phenotype in breast cancer. Oncotarget. 2017; 8(12):19592-19608. PMC: 5386708. DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.14752. View

10.

Mantovani A, Sica A, Locati M . New vistas on macrophage differentiation and activation. Eur J Immunol. 2006; 37(1):14-6. DOI: 10.1002/eji.200636910. View

11.

Biswas S, Mantovani A . Macrophage plasticity and interaction with lymphocyte subsets: cancer as a paradigm. Nat Immunol. 2010; 11(10):889-96. DOI: 10.1038/ni.1937. View

12.

Wang Z, Brandt S, Medeiros A, Wang S, Wu H, Dent A . MicroRNA 21 is a homeostatic regulator of macrophage polarization and prevents prostaglandin E2-mediated M2 generation. PLoS One. 2015; 10(2):e0115855. PMC: 4338261. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115855. View

13.

Kanada M, Bachmann M, Hardy J, Frimannson D, Bronsart L, Wang A . Differential fates of biomolecules delivered to target cells via extracellular vesicles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015; 112(12):E1433-42. PMC: 4378439. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1418401112. View

14.

Laberge R, Awad P, Campisi J, Desprez P . Epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by senescent fibroblasts. Cancer Microenviron. 2011; 5(1):39-44. PMC: 3343197. DOI: 10.1007/s12307-011-0069-4. View

15.

Ferrajoli A, Shanafelt T, Ivan C, Shimizu M, Rabe K, Nouraee N . Prognostic value of miR-155 in individuals with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and patients with B chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood. 2013; 122(11):1891-9. PMC: 3779381. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2013-01-478222. View

16.

Nishimura M, Jung E, Shah M, Lu C, Spizzo R, Shimizu M . Therapeutic synergy between microRNA and siRNA in ovarian cancer treatment. Cancer Discov. 2013; 3(11):1302-15. PMC: 3855315. DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-0159. View

17.

Yang J, Lu Y, Lin Y, Zheng Z, Fang J, He S . Vascular mimicry formation is promoted by paracrine TGF-β and SDF1 of cancer-associated fibroblasts and inhibited by miR-101 in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Lett. 2016; 383(1):18-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2016.09.012. View

18.

Cheng G . Circulating miRNAs: roles in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2014; 81:75-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.09.001. View

19.

Fernandez-Mercado M, Manterola L, Larrea E, Goicoechea I, Arestin M, Armesto M . The circulating transcriptome as a source of non-invasive cancer biomarkers: concepts and controversies of non-coding and coding RNA in body fluids. J Cell Mol Med. 2015; 19(10):2307-23. PMC: 4594673. DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.12625. View

20.

Takeda K, Kaisho T, Akira S . Toll-like receptors. Annu Rev Immunol. 2003; 21:335-76. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.21.120601.141126. View