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Overview upon miR-21 in lung cancer: focus on NSCLC

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Abstract

Considering the high mortality rate encountered in lung cancer, there is a strong need to explore new biomarkers for early diagnosis and also improved therapeutic targets to overcome this issue. The implementation of microRNAs as important regulators in cancer and other pathologies expanded the possibilities of lung cancer management and not only. MiR-21 represents an intensively studied microRNA in many types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its role as an oncogene is underlined in multiple studies reporting the upregulated expression of this sequence in patients diagnosed with this malignancy; moreover, several studies associated this increased expression of miR-21 with a worse outcome within NSCLC patients. The same pattern is supported by the data existent in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The carcinogenic advantage generated by miR-21 in NSCLC resides in the target genes involved in multiple pathways such as cell growth and proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, but also chemo- and radioresistance. Therapeutic modulation of miR-21 by use of antisense sequences entrapped in different delivery systems has shown promising results in impairment of NSCLC. Hereby, we review the mechanisms of action of miR-21 in cancer and the associated changes upon tumor cells together a focused perspective on NSCLC signaling, prognosis and therapy.

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Abbreviations

NSCLC:

Non-small cell lung cancer

PTEN:

Phosphatase and tensin homolog

LUAD:

Lung adenocarcinoma

TCGA:

The Cancer Genome Atlas

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Acknowledgements

This work was granted by Competitiveness Operational Program, 2014–2020, entitled “Clinical and economical impact of personalized targeted anti-microRNA therapies in reconverting lung cancer chemoresistance”—CANTEMIR, no. 35/01.09.2016, MySMIS 103375 and PhD fellowship (PCD 2017) no. 1300/51/13.01.2017 entitled, “Next Generation sequencing (NGS) in personalized medicine”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu-Hatieganu”, Marinescu 23 Street, 400337, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Cecilia Bica-Pop, Roxana Cojocneanu-Petric, Lorand Magdo, Lajos Raduly & Ioana Berindan-Neagoe

  2. Department of Pathophysiology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăștur 3-5 Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Lajos Raduly

  3. MedFuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu-Hatieganu”, 400349, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Diana Gulei & Ioana Berindan-Neagoe

  4. Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuţă”, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Ioana Berindan-Neagoe

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  1. Cecilia Bica-Pop
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Bica-Pop, C., Cojocneanu-Petric, R., Magdo, L. et al. Overview upon miR-21 in lung cancer: focus on NSCLC. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 75, 3539–3551 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-018-2877-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-018-2877-x

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