miR-221/222: promising biomarkers for breast cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs of 19–25 nt that can regulate gene expression at a posttranscriptional level. Increasing evidence indicates that miRNAs participate in almost every step of cellular processes and are often aberrantly expressed in human cancer. miR - 221 and miR - 222 are t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tumor biology 2013-06, Vol.34 (3), p.1361-1370
Main Authors: Chen, Wei-Xian, Hu, Qing, Qiu, Man-Tang, Zhong, Shan-Liang, Xu, Jin-Jin, Tang, Jin-Hai, Zhao, Jian-Hua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomarkers
Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis
Breast Neoplasms - genetics
Breast Neoplasms - therapy
Cancer Research
Female
Humans
MicroRNAs - genetics
Review
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
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Summary:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs of 19–25 nt that can regulate gene expression at a posttranscriptional level. Increasing evidence indicates that miRNAs participate in almost every step of cellular processes and are often aberrantly expressed in human cancer. miR - 221 and miR - 222 are two highly homologous miRNAs that always act as a gene cluster ( miR - 221 / 222 ) in cellular regulation and have extensively been studied in cancer network. Here, we review the role of miR - 221 / 222 in breast cancer (BCa) development and progression: regulating proliferative signaling pathways, altering telomere and telomerase activity, avoiding cell death from tumor suppressors, autophagy and apoptosis, monitoring angiogenesis, supporting epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and even controlling cell-specific function within microenvironment. We consider that miR - 221 / 222 act as promising biomarkers for BCa and they would offer a new way in molecular targeting cancer treatment.
ISSN:1010-4283
1423-0380
DOI:10.1007/s13277-013-0750-y