title: MicroRNAs: Novel Crossroads between Myeloma Cells and the Bone Marrow Microenvironment.
abstract: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy of differentiated plasma cells that accumulate in the bone marrow, where a complex microenvironment made by different cell types supports proliferation, survival, and drug resistance of tumor cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional level. Emerging evidence indicates that miRNAs are aberrantly expressed or functionally deregulated in MM cells as the result of multiple genetic or epigenetic mechanisms and that also the tumor microenvironment regulates MM cell functions by miRNAs. Consistently, modulation of miRNA levels in MM cells has been demonstrated to impair their functional interaction with the bone marrow microenvironment and to produce significant antitumor activity even able to overcome the protective bone marrow milieu. This review will describe the most recent findings on miRNA function in the context of MM bone marrow microenvironment, focusing on the therapeutic potential of miRNA-based approaches.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tissue Engineering-Innovative Technology Platforms for Tissue Engineering (PON01_01059), Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, 90100 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Lavinia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Raimondi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tissue Engineering-Innovative Technology Platforms for Tissue Engineering (PON01_01059), Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, 90100 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University and Medical Oncology Unit, Salvatore Venuta University Campus, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tissue Engineering-Innovative Technology Platforms for Tissue Engineering (PON01_01059), Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, 90100 Palermo, Italy; Laboratory of Preclinical and Surgical Studies, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, 40136 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giavaresi
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University and Medical Oncology Unit, Salvatore Venuta University Campus, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierosandro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tagliaferri
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University and Medical Oncology Unit, Salvatore Venuta University Campus, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tassone
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University and Medical Oncology Unit, Salvatore Venuta University Campus, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amodio
mesh_terms: D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated