Melanoma Institute Australia, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Pathology. 2011 Oct;43(6):657-71. doi: 10.1097/PAT.0b013e32834a7358.
MicroRNAs are small non-protein-coding RNAs which repress gene expression, through base pair matching with messenger RNA (mRNA). A single microRNA is capable of regulating hundreds of mRNA sequences. Only a small fraction of the over 1000 discovered microRNAs have currently known functions; many are crucial in the regulation of genetic signalling, including cellular processes such as cellular differentiation, growth, proliferation and death. Dysfunction in microRNA signalling is present in all cancers studied thus far, leading to overactive oncogenic and underactive tumour suppressor gene signalling. Current research is actively pursuing the potential to use microRNAs as diagnostic tools and novel therapies in a variety of diseases. This review summarises normal and abnormal maturation and function of microRNAs and their role in the pathogenesis of various human tumours and highlights how microRNAs may be used as diagnostic and treatment tools in human cancers in the future.
微 RNA 是一种小的非蛋白编码 RNA，通过与信使 RNA（mRNA）的碱基配对来抑制基因表达。一个微小 RNA 能够调节数百个 mRNA 序列。目前已知功能的超过 1000 种发现的微小 RNA 中只有一小部分；许多在遗传信号的调节中至关重要，包括细胞分化、生长、增殖和死亡等细胞过程。迄今为止，在所有研究的癌症中都存在微小 RNA 信号传导功能障碍，导致致癌基因过度活跃和肿瘤抑制基因信号活性不足。目前的研究正在积极探索将微小 RNA 用作各种疾病的诊断工具和新型治疗方法的潜力。这篇综述总结了微小 RNA 的正常和异常成熟和功能及其在各种人类肿瘤发病机制中的作用，并强调了微小 RNA 如何在未来作为人类癌症的诊断和治疗工具。
