Effect of miRNAs in lung cancer suppression and oncogenesis

Abstract

AbstractMicroRNA (miRNAs) is a group of small non-coding RNAs. It is involved in multiple cellular processes including proliferation, development, metabolism, differentiation and apoptosis; many of which are linked to several pathological conditions, including cancer. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world: in 2008 for example, there were 163,000 deaths as a result of lung cancer. Despite technologies emerging which provide the potential for novel targeted therapies and improved early diagnoses, the overall rate of five-year survival still remains at only 15%. One reason for this disappointing statistic is related to the presentation of the disease, and specifically a lack of markers for early detection. Notably, the expression of some miRNAs has been reported to be involved in the diagnosis, classification and even prognosis of lung cancer. Tumorsuppressive and oncogenic miRNAs were found in lung carcinogenesis and the biological functions of these miRNAs have been validated in transplantable lung cancer models and human paired normal-malignant lung tissue banks. Some of these tumor-suppressive and oncogenic miRNAs related to lung cancer will be reviewed here. This article will focus on emphasing miRNAs effectiveness as a biomarker in lung carcinogenesis and candidate pharmacology. Furthermore, how these findings improve our understanding of lung cancer biology and therapy will also be discussed.