Humphries Brock, Wang Zhishan, Yang Chengfeng
Center for Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Division of Cancer Biology, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 4;22(7):3756. doi: 10.3390/ijms22073756.
Recent advances in our understanding of breast cancer have demonstrated that cancer stem-like cells (CSCs, also known as tumor-initiating cell (TICs)) are central for progression and recurrence. CSCs are a small subpopulation of cells present in breast tumors that contribute to growth, metastasis, therapy resistance, and recurrence, leading to poor clinical outcome. Data have shown that cancer cells can gain characteristics of CSCs, or stemness, through alterations in key signaling pathways. The dysregulation of miRNA expression and signaling have been well-documented in cancer, and recent studies have shown that miRNAs are associated with breast cancer initiation, progression, and recurrence through regulating CSC characteristics. More specifically, miRNAs directly target central signaling nodes within pathways that can drive the formation, maintenance, and even inhibition of the CSC population. This review aims to summarize these research findings specifically in the context of breast cancer. This review also discusses miRNAs as biomarkers and promising clinical therapeutics, and presents a comprehensive summary of currently validated targets involved in CSC-specific signaling pathways in breast cancer.
我们对乳腺癌认识的最新进展表明，癌症干细胞样细胞（CSCs，也称为肿瘤起始细胞（TICs））是肿瘤进展和复发的核心。CSCs是乳腺肿瘤中存在的一小部分细胞亚群，它们促进肿瘤生长、转移、治疗抵抗和复发，导致临床预后不良。数据表明，癌细胞可通过关键信号通路的改变获得CSCs的特征，即干性。miRNA表达和信号传导的失调在癌症中已有充分记载，最近的研究表明，miRNAs通过调节CSC特征与乳腺癌的起始、进展和复发相关。更具体地说，miRNAs直接靶向那些能够驱动CSC群体形成、维持甚至抑制的信号通路中的核心信号节点。本综述旨在特别在乳腺癌背景下总结这些研究发现。本综述还讨论了miRNAs作为生物标志物和有前景的临床治疗方法，并全面总结了目前已验证的参与乳腺癌CSC特异性信号通路的靶点。
