title: Involvement of microRNAs in lung cancer biology and therapy.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small RNAs that regulate gene expression. Expression profiles of specific miRNAs have improved cancer diagnosis and classification as well as provided prognostic information in many human cancers, including lung cancer. Tumor-suppressive and oncogenic miRNAs were uncovered in lung carcinogenesis. The biological functions of these miRNAs in lung cancer were validated recently in well-characterized cellular, murine transgenic as well as transplantable lung cancer models, and in human paired normal-malignant lung tissue banks and tissue arrays. Tumor-suppressive and oncogenic miRNAs that were identified in lung cancer will be reviewed here. Emphasis is placed on highlighting those functionally validated miRNAs that are not only biomarkers of lung carcinogenesis but also candidate pharmacologic targets. How these miRNA findings advance an understanding of lung cancer biology and how they could improve lung cancer therapy are discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lorenzo F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Sempere
authors.forename: Yongli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korc
authors.forename: Sakari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kauppinen
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Freemantle
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dmitrovsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs