Abstract IA20: Post-transcriptional regulation of metastatic progression

Abstract

Abstract Post-transcriptional regulation represents an increasingly studied layer of gene expression control. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that deregulation in post-transcriptional control mechanisms represents an important feature of the aggressive malignant phenotype. We have found that distinct cancers arising from various tissues such as the breast, skin, and the colon modulate unique tissue-specific sets of small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) as they acquire a highly metastatic phenotype. We have used these microRNAs as molecule probes to better understand the molecular and cellular biology underlying metastatic progression. These studies have revealed surprising pathways and mechanisms utilized by cancer cells to colonize metastatic microenvironments. We find that while distinct tissues such as breast and melanoma might modulate distinct miRNAs and downstream target genes, the cellular phenotypes impacted by these pathways en route to metastatic colonization can be similar. Importantly, clinical association studies using human specimens support the roles for these miRNAs and their downstream effectors in metastatic progression. These basic studies into the molecular and cellular biology of metastatic progression have revealed key target genes whose pharmacological modulation in proof-of-concept pre-clinical studies have revealed robust therapeutic effects. Citation Format: Sohail F. Tavazoie. Post-transcriptional regulation of metastatic progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Computational and Systems Biology of Cancer; Feb 8-11 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 2):Abstract nr IA20.