Xu Yi-Fan, Hannafon Bethany N, Ding Wei-Qun
Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA.
Stem Cell Investig. 2017 Jan 21;4:5. doi: 10.21037/sci.2017.01.01. eCollection 2017.
microRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that function primarily in the post transcriptional regulation of gene expression in plants and animals. Deregulation of miRNA expression in cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer cells, is well documented, and the involvement of miRNAs in orchestrating tumor genesis and cancer progression has been recognized. This review focuses on recent reports demonstrating that miRNAs are involved in regulation of pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs). A number of miRNA species have been identified to be involved in regulating pancreatic CSCs, including miR-21, miR-34, miR-1246, miR-221, the miR-17-92 cluster, the miR-200 and let-7 families. Furthermore, the Notch-signaling pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process are associated with miRNA regulation of pancreatic CSCs. Given the significant contribution of CSCs to chemo-resistance and tumor progression, a better understanding of how miRNAs function in pancreatic CSCs could provide novel strategies for the development of therapeutics and diagnostics for this devastating disease.
微小RNA（miRNA）是一类小的非编码RNA，主要在植物和动物的基因表达转录后调控中发挥作用。癌细胞（包括胰腺癌细胞）中miRNA表达失调已有充分记载，并且miRNA在协调肿瘤发生和癌症进展中的作用已得到认可。本综述重点关注近期报道，这些报道表明miRNA参与胰腺癌症干细胞（CSC）的调控。已鉴定出多种miRNA参与调节胰腺CSC，包括miR-21、miR-34、miR-1246、miR-221、miR-17-92簇、miR-200和let-7家族。此外，Notch信号通路和上皮-间质转化（EMT）过程与miRNA对胰腺CSC的调控有关。鉴于CSC对化疗耐药性和肿瘤进展的重大贡献，更好地了解miRNA在胰腺CSC中的作用机制可为开发针对这种毁灭性疾病的治疗和诊断方法提供新策略。
