Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Institute of Biophysics, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, V Uvalu 84, 150 06 Prague, Czech Republic.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 30;23(3):1626. doi: 10.3390/ijms23031626.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that play a role in cancer linked to the regulation of important cellular processes and pathways involving tumorigenesis, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. A lot of human miRNA sequences have been identified which are linked to cancer pathogenesis. MicroRNAs, in prostate cancer (PC), play a relevant role as biomarkers, show a specific profile, and have been used as therapeutic targets. Prostate cancer (PC) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men. Clinical diagnoses among the gold standards for PC diagnosis and monitoring are prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, digital rectal examination, and prostate needle biopsies. PSA screening still has a large grey area of patients, which leads to overdiagnosis. Therefore, new biomarkers are needed to improve existing diagnostic tools. The miRNA expression profiles from tumour versus normal tissues are helpful and exhibit significant differences not only between cancerous and non-cancerous tissues, but also between different cancer types and subtypes. In this review, we focus on the role of miRNAs-145, 148, and 185 and their correlation with stem cells in prostate cancer pathogenesis. MiR-145, by modulating multiple oncogenes, regulates different cellular processes in PC, which are involved in the transition from localised to metastatic disease. MiR-148 is downregulated in high-grade tumours, suggesting that the miR-148-3 family might act as tumour suppressors in PC as a potential biomarker for detecting this disease. MiR-185 regulation is still unclear in being able to regulate tumour processes in PC. Nevertheless, other authors confirm the role of this miRNA as a tumour suppressor, suggesting its potential use as a suitable biomarker in disease prognosis. These three miRNAs are all involved in the regulation of prostate cancer stem cell behaviour (PCSCs). Within this contest, PCSCs are often involved in the onset of chemo-resistance in PC, therefore strategies for targeting this subset of cells are strongly required to control the disease. Hence, the relationship between these two players is interesting and important in prostate cancer pathogenesis and in PCSC stemness regulation, in the attempt to pave the way for novel therapeutic targets in prostate cancer.
微小 RNA（miRNAs）是一类在癌症中发挥作用的小非编码 RNA 分子，它们通过调节肿瘤发生、细胞增殖、分化和凋亡等重要的细胞过程和途径来参与癌症的发生。已经鉴定出许多与癌症发病机制相关的人类 miRNA 序列。miRNAs 在前列腺癌（PC）中作为生物标志物发挥着重要作用，表现出特定的特征，并被用作治疗靶点。前列腺癌（PC）是男性最常见的癌症。前列腺特异性抗原（PSA）检测、数字直肠检查和前列腺针吸活检是 PC 诊断和监测的金标准。PSA 筛查仍然存在大量患者存在灰色地带，导致过度诊断。因此，需要新的生物标志物来改进现有的诊断工具。肿瘤与正常组织之间的 miRNA 表达谱有助于显示不仅在癌组织和非癌组织之间，而且在不同的癌症类型和亚型之间存在显著差异。在这篇综述中，我们重点关注 miRNA-145、148 和 185 及其与前列腺癌发病机制中的干细胞的相关性。miR-145 通过调节多个癌基因，调节 PC 中的不同细胞过程，这些过程参与了从局限性疾病向转移性疾病的转变。miR-148 在高级别肿瘤中下调，表明 miR-148-3 家族可能在 PC 中作为肿瘤抑制因子发挥作用，是检测这种疾病的潜在生物标志物。miR-185 在调节 PC 中的肿瘤过程方面的作用仍不清楚。然而，其他作者证实了该 miRNA 作为肿瘤抑制因子的作用，表明其作为疾病预后合适生物标志物的潜在用途。这三种 miRNA 都参与了前列腺癌干细胞行为（PCSCs）的调节。在这种情况下，PCSCs 通常参与 PC 化疗耐药的发生，因此强烈需要针对这部分细胞的策略来控制疾病。因此，这两种细胞之间的关系在前列腺癌发病机制和 PCSC 干性调节中具有重要意义，为前列腺癌的新治疗靶点铺平了道路。
