Clinical Research Centre, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
Department of Leukemia, Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas M.D., Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 28;23(3):1553. doi: 10.3390/ijms23031553.
The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the steroid hormone receptor family of nuclear transcription factors. It is present in the primary/secondary sexual organs, kidneys, skeletal muscles, adrenal glands, skin, nervous system, and breast. Abnormal AR functioning has been identified in numerous diseases, specifically in prostate cancer (PCa). Interestingly, recent studies have indicated a relationship between the AR and microRNA (miRNA) crosstalk and cancer progression. MiRNAs are small, endogenous, non-coding molecules that are involved in crucial cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, or differentiation. On the one hand, AR may be responsible for the downregulation or upregulation of specific miRNA, while on the other hand, AR is often a target of miRNAs due to their regulatory function on gene expression. A deeper understanding of the AR-miRNA interactions may contribute to the development of better diagnostic tools as well as to providing new therapeutic approaches. While most studies usually focus on the role of miRNAs and AR in PCa, in this review, we go beyond PCa and provide insight into the most recent discoveries about the interplay between AR and miRNAs, as well as about other AR-associated and AR-independent diseases.
雄激素受体（AR）是核转录因子甾体激素受体家族的成员。它存在于主要/次要性器官、肾脏、骨骼肌、肾上腺、皮肤、神经系统和乳房中。在许多疾病中已经确定 AR 功能异常，特别是在前列腺癌（PCa）中。有趣的是，最近的研究表明 AR 与 microRNA（miRNA）相互作用与癌症进展之间存在关系。miRNAs 是小的、内源性、非编码分子，参与关键的细胞过程，如增殖、凋亡或分化。一方面，AR 可能负责特定 miRNA 的下调或上调，另一方面，由于 miRNA 对基因表达的调节功能，AR 通常是 miRNA 的靶标。更深入地了解 AR-miRNA 相互作用可能有助于开发更好的诊断工具，并提供新的治疗方法。虽然大多数研究通常集中在 miRNA 和 AR 在 PCa 中的作用，但在本次综述中，我们超越了 PCa，并深入了解了 AR 和 miRNA 之间相互作用的最新发现，以及其他与 AR 相关和 AR 不相关的疾病。
