TY - JOUR
T1 - Breast cancer metastasis
T2 - A microRNA story
AU - Negrini, Massimo
AU - Calin, George A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr Negrini is supported by grants from the University of Ferrara and by project NOBEL from Fondazione Cariplo, Milan, Italy. Dr Calin is supported by the CLL Global Research Foundation and, in part, as a University of Texas System Regents Research Scholar and as a Fellow of The University of Texas MD Anderson Research Trust. We apologize to our colleagues whose work was not cited because of space limitations.
PY - 2008/3/26
Y1 - 2008/3/26
N2 - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs with regulatory functions, which play an important role in breast cancer. Several studies have shown that miRNAs can act either as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes, and that measurement of miRNA expression in malignancies may have diagnostic and prognostic implications. This article highlights a series of three recent studies that prove the involvement of miRNAs in breast cancer metastases. The first proves that miR-10b indirectly activates the pro-metastatic gene RHOC by suppressing HOXD10, thus leading to tumor invasion and metastasis. The second proves that miR-373 and miR-520c can also promote tumor invasion and metastasis, at least in part by regulating the gene CD44. The third identifies miR-335, miR-206, and miR-126 as suppressors of breast cancer metastasis. Loss of miR-335 leads to the activation of SOX4 and TNC (encoding tenascin C), which are responsible for the acquisition of metastatic properties. Altogether, these remarkable findings are important for our understanding of malignant transformation in the breast and may have implications for the management of patients with advanced breast cancer. The use of miRNAs as anticancer therapeutic agents is promising, and such fine molecular studies certainly help in bringing miRNAs closer to clinical practice.
AB - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs with regulatory functions, which play an important role in breast cancer. Several studies have shown that miRNAs can act either as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes, and that measurement of miRNA expression in malignancies may have diagnostic and prognostic implications. This article highlights a series of three recent studies that prove the involvement of miRNAs in breast cancer metastases. The first proves that miR-10b indirectly activates the pro-metastatic gene RHOC by suppressing HOXD10, thus leading to tumor invasion and metastasis. The second proves that miR-373 and miR-520c can also promote tumor invasion and metastasis, at least in part by regulating the gene CD44. The third identifies miR-335, miR-206, and miR-126 as suppressors of breast cancer metastasis. Loss of miR-335 leads to the activation of SOX4 and TNC (encoding tenascin C), which are responsible for the acquisition of metastatic properties. Altogether, these remarkable findings are important for our understanding of malignant transformation in the breast and may have implications for the management of patients with advanced breast cancer. The use of miRNAs as anticancer therapeutic agents is promising, and such fine molecular studies certainly help in bringing miRNAs closer to clinical practice.
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U2 - 10.1186/bcr1867
DO - 10.1186/bcr1867
M3 - Article
C2 - 18373886
AN - SCOPUS:48949119481
SN - 1465-5411
VL - 10
JO - Breast Cancer Research
JF - Breast Cancer Research
IS - 2
M1 - 303
ER -