scholarly journals MicroRNAs as emerging diagnostic and prognostic marker in cancer biology and therapy

JMS SKIMS ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-58
Author(s):  
Asif Khurshid Qazi ◽  
Fizalah Kawoosa ◽  
Zafar Amin Shah

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to cellular homeostasis and differentiation in many ways, and therefore play an important role in many pathophysiological events. The knowledge of small non-coding RNAmolecules has developed our understanding towards basic processes of cancer biology and the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor initiation and progression. MiRNA research field has grown to be more and more attractive as evidence is emerging that miRNAs possibly play vital regulatory roles in all fundamental biological processes. Notably, as research continues to reveal the mechanisms underlying cancer therapy efficacy, it is apparent that miRNAs contribute to responses to drug therapy and are themselves modified by drug therapy. One important field for miRNA research is to identify functions of miRNAs and the associated signaling pathways in the initiation, progression, metastasis and drug-resistance of tumors in order to propose novel, efficient target based therapeutics that directly target pathologically essential miRNAs and their allied target genes. Currently, miRNA signatures have increasing importance and use in the diagnosis and prognosis of various types of cancers. In this review, we have highlighted the role of various miRNAs in various cancers and other disease so that future of miRNAresearch will provide more interesting outcomes in terms of therapy and cure. JMS 2016; 19(2):47-58

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu-jia Ren ◽  
Yao Yao ◽  
Xiao-yu Cai ◽  
Guo-ying Fang

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of small non-coding RNAs that play an essential role in numerous biological processes by regulating the post-transcriptional expression of target genes. Recent studies have demonstrated that miR-192-5p, a member of the miR-192 family, partakes in several human diseases, especially various cancers, including cancers of the lung, liver, and breast. Importantly, the levels of miR-192-5p are abundant in biofluids, including the serum and urine, and the exosomal levels of miR-192-5p in circulation can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases, such as chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection disease. Notably, recent studies suggest that miR-192-5p is regulated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs). However, there are no comprehensive overviews on the role of miR-192-5p in human diseases. This review discusses the significant studies on the role of miR-192-5p in various human diseases, with special emphasis on the diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aileen Patricia Szczepanski ◽  
Lu Wang

AbstractHistone H2AK119 mono-ubiquitination (H2AK119Ub) is a relatively abundant histone modification, mainly catalyzed by the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) to regulate Polycomb-mediated transcriptional repression of downstream target genes. Consequently, H2AK119Ub can also be dynamically reversed by the BAP1 complex, an evolutionarily conserved multiprotein complex that functions as a general transcriptional activator. In previous studies, it has been reported that the BAP1 complex consists of important biological roles in development, metabolism, and cancer. However, identifying the BAP1 complex’s regulatory mechanisms remains to be elucidated due to its various complex forms and its ability to target non-histone substrates. In this review, we will summarize recent findings that have contributed to the diverse functional role of the BAP1 complex and further discuss the potential in targeting BAP1 for therapeutic use.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiulin Jiang ◽  
Baiyang Liu ◽  
Zhi Nie ◽  
Lincan Duan ◽  
Qiuxia Xiong ◽  
...  

AbstractN6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent, abundant and conserved internal cotranscriptional modification in eukaryotic RNAs, especially within higher eukaryotic cells. m6A modification is modified by the m6A methyltransferases, or writers, such as METTL3/14/16, RBM15/15B, ZC3H3, VIRMA, CBLL1, WTAP, and KIAA1429, and, removed by the demethylases, or erasers, including FTO and ALKBH5. It is recognized by m6A-binding proteins YTHDF1/2/3, YTHDC1/2 IGF2BP1/2/3 and HNRNPA2B1, also known as “readers”. Recent studies have shown that m6A RNA modification plays essential role in both physiological and pathological conditions, especially in the initiation and progression of different types of human cancers. In this review, we discuss how m6A RNA methylation influences both the physiological and pathological progressions of hematopoietic, central nervous and reproductive systems. We will mainly focus on recent progress in identifying the biological functions and the underlying molecular mechanisms of m6A RNA methylation, its regulators and downstream target genes, during cancer progression in above systems. We propose that m6A RNA methylation process offer potential targets for cancer therapy in the future.


2011 ◽  
Vol 208 (6) ◽  
pp. 1189-1201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Boldin ◽  
Konstantin D. Taganov ◽  
Dinesh S. Rao ◽  
Lili Yang ◽  
Jimmy L. Zhao ◽  
...  

Excessive or inappropriate activation of the immune system can be deleterious to the organism, warranting multiple molecular mechanisms to control and properly terminate immune responses. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), ∼22-nt-long noncoding RNAs, have recently emerged as key posttranscriptional regulators, controlling diverse biological processes, including responses to non-self. In this study, we examine the biological role of miR-146a using genetically engineered mice and show that targeted deletion of this gene, whose expression is strongly up-regulated after immune cell maturation and/or activation, results in several immune defects. Collectively, our findings suggest that miR-146a plays a key role as a molecular brake on inflammation, myeloid cell proliferation, and oncogenic transformation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minjie Deng ◽  
Yabing Cao ◽  
Zhenli Zhao ◽  
Lu Yang ◽  
Yanfang Zhang ◽  
...  

Understanding the role of miRNAs in regulating the molecular mechanisms responsive to drought stress was studied in Paulownia “yuza 1.” Two small RNA libraries and two degradome libraries were, respectively, constructed and sequenced in order to detect miRNAs and their target genes associated with drought stress. A total of 107 miRNAs and 42 putative target genes were identified in this study. Among them, 77 miRNAs were differentially expressed between drought-treated Paulownia “yuza 1” and the control (60 downregulated and 17 upregulated). The predicted target genes were annotated using the GO, KEGG, and Nr databases. According to the functional classification of the target genes, Paulownia “yuza 1” may respond to drought stress via plant hormone signal transduction, photosynthesis, and osmotic adjustment. Furthermore, the expression levels of seven miRNAs (ptf-miR157b, ptf-miR159b, ptf-miR398a, ptf-miR9726a, ptf-M2153, ptf-M2218, and ptf-M24a) and their corresponding target genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. The results provide relevant information for understanding the molecular mechanism of Paulownia resistance to drought and reference data for researching drought resistance of other trees.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5616
Author(s):  
Eugenia Fernandez ◽  
Luis Ubillos ◽  
Nabila Elgul ◽  
María Florencia Festari ◽  
Daniel Mazal ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is a public health concern and is currently the fifth cause of mortality worldwide. Identification of different biological subtypes is essential for clinical management; therefore, the role of pathologists is essential and useful tools for immunohistochemistry diagnosis are needed. Polypeptide-GalNAc-transferases are emerging novel biomarkers related to cancer behavior and GalNAc-T13, correlated with aggressiveness in some tumors, is an interesting candidate. Few monoclonal antibodies reacting with native proteins, and not affected by fixation and paraffin embedding, have been reported. The aim of this work was to develop a useful monoclonal antibody anti-GalNAc-T13 and to assess its potential significance in breast cancer diagnosis. We evaluated 6 human breast cancer cell lines, 338 primary breast tumors and 48 metastatic lymph nodes and looked for clinical significance correlating GalNAc-T13 expression with patients’ clinical features and survival. We found high GalNAc-T13 expression in 43.8% of the cases and observed a significant higher expression in metastatic lymph nodes, correlating with worse overall survival. We hypothesized several possible molecular mechanisms and their implications. We conclude that GalNAc-T13 may be a novel biomarker in breast cancer, useful for routine pathological diagnosis. Elucidation of molecular mechanisms related to aggressiveness should contribute to understand the role of GalNAc-T13 in breast cancer biology.


Author(s):  
Wuwen Zhang ◽  
Qinshi Wang ◽  
Yi Yang ◽  
Siyuan Zhou ◽  
Ping Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractExosomes play a vital role in cell–cell communication within the cancer microenvironment. Exosomal long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators in cancer development and are involved in multiple processes, including cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, and immunomodulation. Changes in the levels of exosomal lncRNAs often appear with the occurrence and development of cancer. Therefore, exosomal lncRNAs can be used as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Exosomal lncRNAs can also indicate the treatment response of patients receiving chemotherapy. Moreover, exosomal lncRNAs are potential therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. In this review, we summarize the role of exosomal lncRNAs in cancer biology as well as in clinical management. A more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the role of exosomal lncRNAs in cancer may help us better understand the mechanism of cancer development and clinically manage cancer patients.


Author(s):  
Yating Xu ◽  
Menggang Zhang ◽  
Qiyao Zhang ◽  
Xiao Yu ◽  
Zongzong Sun ◽  
...  

RNA methylation is considered a significant epigenetic modification, a process that does not alter gene sequence but may play a necessary role in multiple biological processes, such as gene expression, genome editing, and cellular differentiation. With advances in RNA detection, various forms of RNA methylation can be found, including N6-methyladenosine (m6A), N1-methyladenosine (m1A), and 5-methylcytosine (m5C). Emerging reports confirm that dysregulation of RNA methylation gives rise to a variety of human diseases, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma. We will summarize essential regulators of RNA methylation and biological functions of these modifications in coding and noncoding RNAs. In conclusion, we highlight complex molecular mechanisms of m6A, m5C, and m1A associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and hope this review might provide therapeutic potent of RNA methylation to clinical research.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianshuang Liu ◽  
Chopp Michael ◽  
Xinli Wang ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Yisheng Cui ◽  
...  

Background: Neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis are associated with functional recovery after stroke. However, the molecules that regulate the generation of new neurons and oligodendrocytes have not been fully investigated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MiR-146a has been reported to regulate the immune response in cells, but the role of miR-146a in neural (NPCs) and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) remains unexplored. Methods and Results: Adult Wistar rats were subjected to right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). In situ hybridization using locked nucleic acid (LNA)probes against miR-146a showed that stroke considerably increased miR-146a density in the subventricular zone (SVZ, 19 ± 1 vs 6 ± 0.1 area/mm2 in non-MCAo group, p<0.05, n=4/group) and corpus callosum (24 ± 3 vs 8±1 area/mm2 in non-MCAo group) of the ischemic hemisphere. Quantitative RT-PCR also demonstrated a marked upregulation of miR-146a transcript in ischemic NPCs (8.5 fold), suggesting an important role in stroke-induced neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis. To test its biological function, we over-expressed miR-146a in neural progenitor cells by transfection of miR-146a mimics using nucleofector and found that elevation of miR-146a significantly increased the percentage of Tuj1+ neuroblasts (5 ± 0.3 vs 1 ± 0.2%, p<0.05, n=6/group) and O4+ OPCs (10 ± 1 vs 4 ± 0.4%, p<0.05). Moreover, over-expression of miR-146a in primary cultured OPCs significantly increased several myelin proteins including MBP and PLP, and decreased levels of OPC marker proteins including PDGFRα and NG2, whereas attenuation of miR-146a by siRNA against miR-146a suppressed myelin proteins and augmented OPC marker proteins. Furthermore, miR-146a levels in the OPCs were inversely related to IRAK1 proteins, one of miR-146a target genes. Attenuation of IRAK1 in OPCs substantially increased myelin proteins, indicating that miR-146a mediates oligodendrocyte maturation via targeting IRAK1. Conclusion: Our data provide new insight into molecular mechanisms underlying stroke-induced neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis by revealing a novel role of miR-146a in NPCs and OPCs, which has potential to be used as a new therapy for neurorecovery after stroke.


Open Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 180212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Chen ◽  
Zijing Xia ◽  
Ya-Nan Deng ◽  
Yanfang Yang ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one abundant class of small, endogenous non-coding RNAs, which regulate various biological processes by inhibiting expression of target genes. miRNAs have important functional roles in carcinogenesis and development of colorectal cancer (CRC), and emerging evidence has indicated the feasibility of miRNAs as robust cancer biomarkers. This review summarizes the progress in miRNA-related research, including study of its oncogene or tumour-suppressor roles and the advantages of miRNA biomarkers for CRC diagnosis, treatment and recurrence prediction. Along with analytical technique improvements in miRNA research, use of the emerging extracellular miRNAs is feasible for CRC diagnosis and prognosis.


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