Department of Cancer Genetics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, York House, York Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Semin Cancer Biol. 2011 Oct;21(4):283-90. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2011.07.001. Epub 2011 Jul 13.
Many neuroblastoma cell lines can be induced to differentiate into a mature neuronal cell type with retinoic acid and other compounds, providing an important model system for elucidating signalling pathways involved in this highly complex process. Recently, it has become apparent that miRNAs, which act as regulators of gene expression at a post-transcriptional level, are differentially expressed in differentiating cells and play important roles governing many aspects of this process. This includes the down-regulation of DNA methyltransferases that cause the de-methylation and transcriptional activation of numerous protein coding gene sequences. The purpose of this article is to review involvement of miRNAs and DNA methylation alterations in the process of neuroblastoma cell differentiation. A thorough understanding of miRNA and genetic pathways regulating neuroblastoma cell differentiation potentially could lead to targeted therapies for this disease.
许多神经母细胞瘤细胞系可以用维甲酸和其他化合物诱导分化为成熟的神经元细胞类型，为阐明参与这一高度复杂过程的信号通路提供了一个重要的模型系统。最近，miRNA 作为转录后水平基因表达的调节因子，在分化细胞中差异表达，并在调控该过程的许多方面发挥重要作用，这一点变得越来越明显。这包括下调 DNA 甲基转移酶，导致许多蛋白质编码基因序列去甲基化和转录激活。本文的目的是综述 miRNA 和 DNA 甲基化改变在神经母细胞瘤细胞分化过程中的作用。深入了解 miRNA 和遗传途径调节神经母细胞瘤细胞分化，可能为这种疾病的靶向治疗提供依据。
