Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
Trends Genet. 2022 Apr;38(4):379-394. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.10.002. Epub 2021 Oct 30.
Alterations in microRNAs (miRNAs) expression are causative in the initiation and progression of human cancers. The molecular events responsible for the widespread differential expression of miRNAs in malignancy are exemplified by their location in cancer-associated genomic regions, epigenetic mechanisms, transcriptional dysregulation, chemical modifications and editing, and alterations in miRNA biogenesis proteins. The classical miRNA function is synonymous with post-transcriptional repression of target protein genes. However, several studies have reported miRNAs functioning outside this paradigm and some of these novel modes of regulation of gene expression have been implicated in cancers. Here, we summarize key aspects of miRNA involvement in cancer, with a special focus on these lesser-studied mechanisms of action.
miRNAs 表达的改变是导致人类癌症发生和发展的原因。导致 miRNA 在恶性肿瘤中广泛差异表达的分子事件的例子包括它们在癌相关基因组区域的位置、表观遗传机制、转录失调、化学修饰和编辑，以及 miRNA 生物发生蛋白的改变。经典的 miRNA 功能等同于靶蛋白基因的转录后抑制。然而，有几项研究报告称，miRNAs 的功能超出了这一模式，其中一些新的基因表达调控模式与癌症有关。在这里，我们总结了 miRNA 参与癌症的关键方面，特别关注这些研究较少的作用机制。
