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Review
. 2021 Oct 19;9(10):1494.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9101494.

Footprints of microRNAs in Cancer Biology

Yaashini Rajasegaran  1 , Adam Azlan  1 , Aliaa Arina Rosli  1 , Mot Yee Yik  1 , Khor Kang Zi  1 , Narazah Mohd Yusoff  1 , Emmanuel Jairaj Moses  1
Affiliations
Review

Footprints of microRNAs in Cancer Biology

Yaashini Rajasegaran et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Over the past years, various studies have demonstrated the role of aberrant miRNA expression in the onset of cancer. The mechanisms by which miRNA exerts its cancer-promoting or inhibitory effects are apparent through the various cancer hallmarks, which include selective proliferative advantage, altered stress response, vascularization, invasion and metastasis, metabolic rewiring, the tumor microenvironment and immune modulation; therefore, this review aims to highlight the association between miRNAs and the various cancer hallmarks by dissecting the mechanisms of miRNA regulation in each hallmark separately. It is hoped that the information presented herein will provide further insights regarding the role of cancer and serve as a guideline to evaluate the potential of microRNAs to be utilized as biomarkers and therapeutic targets on a larger scale in cancer research.

Keywords: biomarkers; cancer biology; gene regulation; microRNA (miRNA); therapeutic targets.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main players involved in intracellular signalling pathways. GF: Growth factor; JAK: Janus tyrosine kinase; STAT: Signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins; MAPK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase; MEK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase; ERK: Extracellular-signal-regulated kinase; PI3K: Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase; mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin; PDK1: Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1; PIP2: phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate; PIP3: phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate; PTEN: phosphatase and tensin homolog; P: Phosphate group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Regulation of cell cycle progression from G1 phase to S phase is controlled by various players. G1: Gap 1 phase; S: Synthesis phase; G2: Gap 2 phase: M: Mitotic phase; RB: Retinoblastoma; E2F: CDK: Cyclin-dependent kinase; P: Phosphate group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Crucial regulators of DNA damage repair (DDR) mechanism. PARP1: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1; MRE11: meiotic recombination 11 homolog; NBS1: Nijmegen breakage syndrome protein 1; ATM: Ataxia–telangiectasia mutated; H2AX: H2A histone family member X; ATR: Ataxia–telangiectasia and Rad3-related; BRCA1: Breast cancer 1; Chk2: Checkpoint kinase 2; Chk1: Checkpoint kinase 1.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A brief overview of the autophagy process. RAPTOR: Regulatory-associated protein of mTOR; mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin; mLST8: mTOR-associated Protein, LST8 Homolog; ULK: Unc-51-like kinase; ATG: Autophagy-related gene; FIP200: FAK family kinase-interacting protein-200kD; AMBRA1: Autophagy And Beclin1 regulator 1; VPS34: phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit type 3; VPS15: phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 4; UVRAG: UV radiation resistance-associated gene; BCL-xL: B cell lymphoma extra-large; BCL-2: B cell lymphoma 2; LC3: Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3; SNAP29: Synaptosome-associated protein 29; VAMP8: Vesicle-associated membrane protein 8; STX17: syntaxin 17.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Extrinsic and intrinsic pathways in apoptosis. BID: BH3-interacting domain death agonist; BCL-xL: B cell lymphoma extra-large; BCL-2: B cell lymphoma 2; MCL-1: myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1; BAK: Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer; BAX: Bcl-2-associated X protein; MOMP: mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization; SMAC: Second mitochondrial derived activator of caspases; XIAP: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein; APAF-1: Apoptotic protease activating factor 1.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The main regulators of the senescence pathway. Bmi-1: B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1; RB: Retinoblastoma; CDK: Cyclin-dependent kinase; MDM2: Mouse double minute 2 homologue.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The microRNA-regulation-targeting genes involved in cancer angiogenesis, which occurs at the proteomic, genomic, exosomic and phenotypic levels. Act/Rep: Activator/repressor, Cof: Cofactor, miRNA: micro-RNA, UTR: untranslated region, TA: transcription activator, P: phosphate group.
Figure 8
Figure 8
A brief overview of cancer metastasis. Cancer cells loses their adhering factors, leading to intravasation, a process whereby the cancer cells detach from the primary tumor site and invade the circulatory system. Once they are in the circulatory system, cancer cells will be disseminated throughout the body, followed by extravasation, where the cancer escapes the circulatory system and forms a secondary tumor.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The differences in glucose metabolism between normal differentiated cells and cancerous cells. O2: oxygen; CO2: carbon dioxide.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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