Vol43 No.11: 831-839

New role of microRNA: carcinogenesis and clinical application in cancer

Luqing Zhao^1,2,3*, Xue Chen^1,2,3, and Ya Cao^1,2,3*

(1 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Invasion, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410078, China; 2 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Ministry of Health, Changsha 410078, China; 3 Cancer Research Institute, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China )

Abstract
����MicroRNA (miRNA) is a cluster of small non-encoding RNA molecules of 21�C23 nucleotides in length, which controls the expression of target gene at the post-transcriptional level. Recent researches have indicated that miRNA plays an essential role in carcinogenesis, such as affecting the cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Nowadays, multiple promising roles of miRNA involved in carcinogenesis are emerging, and it is shown that miRNA closely relates to the process of epithelial−mesenchymal transition (EMT), the regulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), the development of tumor invasion and migration. miRNA also acts as a biomarker stably expressed in serum and provides new target for molecular target therapy of various cancers. The aim of this review is to illustrate the new role of miRNA in carcinogenesis and highlight the new prospects of miRNA in cancer clinical application, such as in serological diagnosis and molecular-targeted therapeutics.

Received: 2011-3-18����Accepted: 2011-5-27

*Corresponding author . Tel: +86-731-84805448; Fax: +86-731-84470589; E-mail: [email protected] (L.Z.)/[email protected] (Y.C.)

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