title: The role of microRNAs in gallbladder cancer.
abstract: MicroRNAs (also referred to as miRNAs or miRs) play a crucial role in post-transcriptional gene regulation and serve as negative gene regulators by controlling a variety of target genes and regulating diverse biological processes, such as cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis. Aberrant expression of miRNAs is associated with the development and progression of cancer. Recent studies have reported that miRNAs may repress or promote the expression of cancer-related genes via several different signaling pathways in gallbladder cancer (GBC) patients and may function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes, thus providing a promising tool for the diagnosis and therapeutics of GBCs. In this review, we summarize the role of dysregulawted miRNA expression in the signaling pathways implicated in GBC and discuss the significant role of circulating miRNAs in GBC. Therefore, miRNAs may serve as novel therapeutic targets as well as diagnostic or prognostic markers in GBC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ganghua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ruixiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: biomarker; gallbladder cancer; microRNA; therapeutic target