Role of microRNAs in malignant mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumor, mainly derived from the pleura, which is predominantly associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. The prognosis of MM patients is particularly severe, with a median survival of approximately 9–12 months and latency between exposure and diagnosis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 2014-08, Vol.71 (15), p.2865-2878
Main Authors: Truini, A, Coco, S, Alama, A, Genova, C, Sini, C, Dal Bello, M. G, Barletta, G, Rijavec, E, Burrafato, G, Boccardo, F, Grossi, F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
asbestos
Biochemistry
Biomarkers
Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer
carcinogenesis
Cell Biology
Gene expression
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
Humans
Life Sciences
Lung - metabolism
Lung - pathology
Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis
Lung Neoplasms - genetics
Lung Neoplasms - therapy
mesothelioma
Mesothelioma - diagnosis
Mesothelioma - genetics
Mesothelioma - therapy
Mesothelioma, Malignant
microRNA
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs - genetics
nucleotides
Oncogenes
patients
pleura
Prognosis
Review
tumor suppressor genes
Tumorigenesis
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Summary:Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumor, mainly derived from the pleura, which is predominantly associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. The prognosis of MM patients is particularly severe, with a median survival of approximately 9–12 months and latency between exposure and diagnosis ranging from 20–50 years (median 30 years). Emerging evidence has demonstrated that tumor aggressiveness is associated with genome and gene expression abnormalities; therefore, several studies have recently focused on the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in MM tumorigenesis. miRNAs are small non-protein coding single-stranded RNAs (17–22 nucleotides) involved in numerous cellular processes that negatively regulate gene expression by modulating the expression of downstream target genes. miRNAs are often deregulated in cancer; in particular, the differential miRNA expression profiles of MM cells compared to unaffected mesothelial cells have suggested potential roles of miRNAs as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in MM oncogenesis. In this review, the mechanism of MM carcinogenesis was evaluated through the analysis of the published miRNA expression data. The roles of miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and prognostic factors for potential therapeutic strategies will be presented and discussed.
ISSN:1420-682X
1420-9071
DOI:10.1007/s00018-014-1584-5