George G P, Mittal Rama Devi
Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Sanjay Gandhi and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014 India.
Indian J Clin Biochem. 2010 Jan;25(1):4-14. doi: 10.1007/s12291-010-0008-z. Epub 2010 Feb 10.
microRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved small noncoding RNAs, also known as micromanagers of gene expression. Polymorphisms in the miRNA pathway (miR-polymorphisms) are emerging as powerful tools to study the biology of a disease and have the potential to be used in disease prognosis and diagnosis. Advancements in the miRNA field also indicate a clear involvement of deregulated miRNA gene signatures in cancers, and several polymorphisms in pre-miRNA, miRNA binding sites or targets have been found to be associated with various cancers. The miRNA polymorphisms have also been reported to influence tumor aggressiveness as well as survival of cancer patients. miRNAs have a revolutionary impact on cancer research over recent years. They emerge as important players in tumorigenesis, leading to a paradigm shift in oncology. The extensive and comprehensive use of miRNA microarrays has enabled the identification of a number of miRNAs as potential biomarkers for cancer. Many miRNAs have been identified to act as oncogenes, tumor suppressors, or even modulators of cancer stem cells and metastasis. Some studies not only reported the identified miRNA biomarkers, but also deciphered their target genes and the underlying mechanisms. The rapid discovery of many miRNA targets and their relevant pathways has contributed to the development of miRNA-based therapeutics.
微小RNA（miRNA）是进化上保守的小非编码RNA，也被称为基因表达的微观管理者。miRNA途径中的多态性（miR-多态性）正成为研究疾病生物学的有力工具，并有可能用于疾病的预后和诊断。miRNA领域的进展还表明，失调的miRNA基因特征在癌症中明显起作用，并且已发现前体miRNA、miRNA结合位点或靶标的几种多态性与各种癌症相关。据报道，miRNA多态性也会影响肿瘤的侵袭性以及癌症患者的生存率。近年来，miRNA对癌症研究产生了革命性的影响。它们成为肿瘤发生中的重要参与者，导致肿瘤学领域的范式转变。miRNA微阵列的广泛和全面使用使得能够鉴定出许多miRNA作为癌症的潜在生物标志物。许多miRNA已被鉴定为癌基因、肿瘤抑制因子，甚至是癌症干细胞和转移的调节因子。一些研究不仅报道了已鉴定的miRNA生物标志物，还破译了它们的靶基因和潜在机制。许多miRNA靶标及其相关途径的快速发现促进了基于miRNA的治疗方法的发展。
