Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
Centre for Research in Biomolecular Interactions, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 25;21(19):7093. doi: 10.3390/ijms21197093.
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecological cancer, and the major cause of death is mainly attributed to metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that exert important regulatory functions in many biological processes through their effects on regulating gene expression. In most cases, miRNAs interact with the 3' UTRs of target mRNAs to induce their degradation and suppress their translation. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been detected in EOC tumors and/or the biological fluids of EOC patients. Such dysregulation occurs as the result of alterations in DNA copy numbers, epigenetic regulation, and miRNA biogenesis. Many studies have demonstrated that miRNAs can promote or suppress events related to EOC metastasis, such as cell migration, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and interaction with the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we provide a brief overview of miRNA biogenesis and highlight some key events and regulations related to EOC metastasis. We summarize current knowledge on how miRNAs are dysregulated, focusing on those that have been reported to regulate metastasis. Furthermore, we discuss the role of miRNAs in promoting and inhibiting EOC metastasis. Finally, we point out some limitations of current findings and suggest future research directions in the field.
上皮性卵巢癌（EOC）是最致命的妇科癌症，主要死亡原因主要归因于转移。微小 RNA（miRNA）是一组小的非编码 RNA，通过调节基因表达来发挥重要的调节功能，参与许多生物学过程。在大多数情况下，miRNA 通过与靶 mRNA 的 3'UTR 相互作用来诱导其降解并抑制其翻译。已经在 EOC 肿瘤和/或 EOC 患者的生物体液中检测到 miRNA 的异常表达。这种失调是由于 DNA 拷贝数、表观遗传调控和 miRNA 生物发生的改变而发生的。许多研究表明，miRNA 可以促进或抑制与 EOC 转移相关的事件，如细胞迁移、侵袭、上皮-间充质转化以及与肿瘤微环境的相互作用。在这篇综述中，我们简要概述了 miRNA 的生物发生，并强调了与 EOC 转移相关的一些关键事件和调控。我们总结了目前关于 miRNA 失调的知识，重点介绍了那些被报道调节转移的 miRNA。此外，我们还讨论了 miRNA 在促进和抑制 EOC 转移中的作用。最后，我们指出了目前研究结果的一些局限性，并提出了该领域未来的研究方向。
