title: MicroRNA-21: a therapeutic target for reversing drug resistance in cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drug resistance is a major clinical obstacle to the successful treatment of human cancer. The microRNAs-21 (miR-21), an oncomiR, may play an important role in the progress of drug resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review covers all related literature on miR-21 in drug resistance of human cancers and analyzes the expression, biological functions and targets of it. This study also envisages future developments toward its clinical and therapeutic applications in cancer treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The miR-21 may promote the drug resistance of various cancers. Inhibitors of miR-21 may function as effective approaches for reversing drug resistance in cancer cells. There is a tough way from discovering the function of miR-21 to clinical use. Further understanding of miR-21-mediated signaling pathways will help to promote the therapeutic-clinical use of miR-21 in cancer.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Military Medical University, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology & Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi Province, China. hongliu180@126.com
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yujie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qingchuan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Kaichun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Daiming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000502:physiology*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs