Zhang Kaiyuan, Zhang Yanlei, Liu Chang, Xiong Ying, Zhang Jiqiang
Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China.
Cadet Brigade, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China.
Int J Oncol. 2014 Sep;45(3):950-8. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2487. Epub 2014 Jun 10.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding single-stranded RNAs in eukaryotes and are involved in the regulation of the post-transcriptional expression of specific genes. Studies have demonstrated that miRNAs play important roles in regulating diverse physiological events such as cell proliferation, differentiation and embryo development. In recent decades, considerable attention has been given to the relationship between miRNA and the pathology of cancers, particularly breast cancer. A large number of miRNAs have been shown to be involved in the pathophysiology of breast cancer. Studies have revealed that some miRNAs might regulate the oncogenesis and growth of breast cancer by acting on breast tumor-initiating cells or other downstream targets. Studies have also demonstrated that some miRNAs act as suppressors of metastasis or promoters of breast cancer. Additionally, certain miRNAs are involved in cancer tissue angiogenesis (one of the most important mechanisms of tumor growth and metastasis). Clinical evidence indicates that some miRNAs can be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer due to their significantly increased or decreased expression in cancer tissue. Moreover, certain miRNAs may have therapeutic potential for targeting ER-α/HER, breast tumor-initiating cells and metastasis as well as multidrug resistance. In this review, we discuss the relationship between miRNAs and the pathogenesis of breast cancer as well as the progress of current research on the miRNA-specific diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of breast cancer.
微小RNA（miRNA）是真核生物中的非编码单链RNA，参与特定基因转录后表达的调控。研究表明，miRNA在调节多种生理事件中发挥重要作用，如细胞增殖、分化和胚胎发育。近几十年来，miRNA与癌症（尤其是乳腺癌）病理学之间的关系受到了广泛关注。大量miRNA已被证明参与乳腺癌的病理生理学过程。研究显示，一些miRNA可能通过作用于乳腺肿瘤起始细胞或其他下游靶点来调节乳腺癌的发生和生长。研究还表明，一些miRNA可作为乳腺癌转移的抑制因子或促进因子。此外，某些miRNA参与癌症组织血管生成（肿瘤生长和转移的最重要机制之一）。临床证据表明，一些miRNA可作为乳腺癌的诊断和预后生物标志物，因为它们在癌组织中的表达显著升高或降低。此外，某些miRNA可能对靶向雌激素受体α/人表皮生长因子受体（ER-α/HER）、乳腺肿瘤起始细胞和转移以及多药耐药具有治疗潜力。在本综述中，我们讨论了miRNA与乳腺癌发病机制之间的关系，以及当前关于miRNA特异性诊断、预后和治疗乳腺癌的研究进展。
