title: MicroRNAs, genomic instability and cancer.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA transcripts approximately 20 nucleotides in length that regulate expression of protein-coding genes via complementary binding mechanisms. The last decade has seen an exponential increase of publications on miRNAs, ranging from every aspect of basic cancer biology to diagnostic and therapeutic explorations. In this review, we summarize findings of miRNA involvement in genomic instability, an interesting but largely neglected topic to date. We discuss the potential mechanisms by which miRNAs induce genomic instability, considered to be one of the most important driving forces of cancer initiation and progression, though its precise mechanisms remain elusive. We classify genomic instability mechanisms into defects in cell cycle regulation, DNA damage response, and mitotic separation, and review the findings demonstrating the participation of specific miRNAs in such mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Therapeutics, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA. KYVincent@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Therapeutics, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA. MPichler@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pichler
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju 660-702, Korea. brightree24@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gyeong-Won
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Therapeutics, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA. hling@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ling
mesh_terms: D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D042822:Genomic Instability / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs