Shah Maitri Y, Calin George A
Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2014 Jul-Aug;5(4):537-48. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1229. Epub 2014 Mar 28.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved, small, regulatory RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression. Extensive research in the last decade has implicated miRNAs as master regulators of cellular processes with essential role in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis, making them promising therapeutic tools for cancer management. In this article, we will briefly review the structure, biogenesis, functions, and mechanism of action of these miRNAs, followed by a detailed analysis of the therapeutic potential of these miRNAs. We will focus on the strategies presently used for miRNA therapy; discuss their use and drawbacks; and the challenges and future directions for the development of miRNA-based therapy for human cancers.
微小RNA(miRNA)是进化上保守的小调节RNA,可负向调节基因表达。过去十年的广泛研究表明,miRNA是细胞过程的主要调节因子,在癌症的发生、发展和转移中起重要作用,使其成为癌症治疗的有前景的工具。在本文中,我们将简要回顾这些miRNA的结构、生物合成、功能和作用机制,然后详细分析这些miRNA的治疗潜力。我们将重点关注目前用于miRNA治疗的策略;讨论其用途和缺点;以及基于miRNA的人类癌症治疗开发面临的挑战和未来方向。