Abstract
Intestinal tumorigenesis is characterized by accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations that lead to enhanced malignant potential of epithelial cells. Recent evidence suggests that 18-22 nt small non-coding RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in epigenetic regulation during carcinogenesis. Regulating hundreds of targets simultaneously, miRNAs can affect multiple signaling pathways and serve as a "hub" in gene regulatory network. A large part of oncogenes and tumor suppressors are controlled by miRNAs, and conversely, these genes regulate miRNA expression by transcriptional control and by interfering with the miRNA biogenesis process. In addition, somatic mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms in miRNA genes and in target messenger RNAs attenuate miRNA-mediated gene suppression efficiency. These complicated gene-miRNA interactions create aberrant gene expression profiles, which lead to disruption of cellular homeostasis and eventually to carcinogenesis. In this chapter, we summarize a variety of dysregulation mechanisms of miRNAs and present an overview of miRNA involvement in intestinal tumorigenesis, mainly in colorectal cancer.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Intestinal Tumorigenesis: Mechanisms of Development & Progression |
| Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
| Pages | 169-188 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319199863 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783319199856 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 19 2015 |
Keywords
- Carcinogenesis
- Colorectal cancer
- Epigenetic regulation
- Intestinal tumorigenesis
- MicroRNA
- Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
- miRNA biogenesis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology