MicroRNAs in cancer. From bench to bedside

Abstract

microRNAs (miRNAs) are master regulators of gene expression. By degrading or blocking translation of messenger RNA targets, these noncoding RNAs can regulate the expression of more than half of all protein-coding genes in mammalian genomes. Aberrant miRNA expression is well characterized in cancer progression and has prognostic implications for cancer in general. Over the past several years, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that genomic alterations in miRNA genes are correlated with all aspects of cancer biology. In this review, we describe the effects of miRNA deregulation in the cellular pathways that lead to the progressive conversion of normal cells into cancer cells as well as in cancer diagnosis and therapy in humans. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.