The role of microRNAs in glioma initiation and progression

Abstract

micoRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeting the mRNAs of a large number of human genes. Gliomas are the most common and deadly primary human brain tumors and are thought to originate from transformed stem-like cells (GSCs). microRNAs are frequently deregulated in cancer and gliomas and their deregulation has been associated with various aspects of glioma pathobiology. The present review summarizes the published literature on the role of miRNAs in gliomas with a focus on their role in GSCs.