Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute on Aging, NIH Biomedical Research Center, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Suite 100, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.
Endocr Relat Cancer. 2010 Jan 29;17(1):F77-89. doi: 10.1677/ERC-09-0203. Print 2010 Mar.
The molecular mechanisms involved in epithelial ovarian cancer initiation and progression are just beginning to be elucidated. In particular, it has become evident that microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), a class of molecules that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression, play a major role in ovarian tumorigenesis. Several microRNA profiling studies have identified changes in microRNA patterns that take place during ovarian cancer development. While most deregulated microRNAs are down-regulated in cancer, and may therefore act as tumor suppressors, others are elevated and may represent novel oncogenes in this disease. A number of microRNAs identified as aberrantly expressed in ovarian carcinoma have been shown to have important functional roles in cancer development and may therefore represent targets for therapy. In addition, some of the microRNA patterns may have prognostic significance. The identification of functional targets represents a major hurdle in our understanding of microRNA function in ovarian carcinoma, but significant progress is being made. It is hoped that a better understanding of the microRNA expression and roles in ovarian cancer may provide new avenues for the detection, diagnosis, and therapy of this deadly disease.
上皮性卵巢癌发生和进展中涉及的分子机制才刚刚开始被阐明。特别是，microRNAs（miRNAs 或 miRs），一类在后转录水平上调节基因表达的分子，在卵巢肿瘤发生中起主要作用，这一点已变得明显。几项 microRNA 谱分析研究已经确定了在卵巢癌发展过程中发生的 microRNA 模式变化。虽然大多数失调的 microRNAs在癌症中下调，因此可能作为肿瘤抑制因子发挥作用，但其他 microRNAs上调，可能在这种疾病中代表新的癌基因。已经证明，在卵巢癌中异常表达的许多 microRNAs在癌症发展中具有重要的功能作用，因此可能代表治疗的靶点。此外，一些 microRNA 模式可能具有预后意义。确定功能靶点是我们理解 microRNA 在卵巢癌中功能的主要障碍，但正在取得重大进展。希望更好地了解 microRNA 在卵巢癌中的表达和作用可能为这种致命疾病的检测、诊断和治疗提供新途径。
