Oncogenic mechanisms of Lin28 in breast cancer: new functions and therapeutic opportunities.

The RNA binding protein Lin28 is best known for the critical role in cell development, recent researches also have implied its oncogenic function in various human cancers, including breast cancer. Specifically, aberrant Lin28 participates in multiple pathological processes, such as proliferation, metastasis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy resistance, metabolism, immunity and inflammation as well as stemness. In this review, we summarize the let-7-dependent and let-7-independent mechanism regulated by Lin28, focusing on its relation with tumor hallmarks in breast cancer, and subsequently discuss our present knowledge of Lin28 to develop a molecular-based therapeutic strategy against breast cancer.