title: MicroRNAs in human lung cancer.
abstract: Lung cancer, which can be divided into two major clinical-pathological categories, small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length, have been reported to be upregulated or downregulated in disease states and specific cell types. Recently, miRNAs have gained recognition as major regulators of human gene expression. MiRNAs can control highly complex signal transduction pathways and other biological pathways by targeting and controlling gene expression, accounting for their important role in lung cancer. Findings from recent studies on the roles of miRNAs in lung cancer are summarized in this review. Understanding miRNA functions in lung cancer will bring molecular-level insight leading to better prognosis, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700 412, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700 412, Korea Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700 412, South Korea heonlee@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Heon-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D057089:Pathology, Molecular
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: MicroRNA; NKX2-1; cancer biomarkers; lung cancer; serum microRNA