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The realm of microRNAs in cancers

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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are members of the non-protein coding RNA family. miRNAs, which can regulate genes on transcriptomic level through either degrading the target messenger RNA (mRNA) or suppressing the protein synthesis, also take part in a number of biological functions that involve development, differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. The mutations and polymorphisms in the expression levels of miRNA genes or alterations in their epigenetic mechanisms may play their roles in the formation of malignancies. Increasing evidence shows that aberrant miRNA expression profiles are present in a variety of cancers. Therefore, it has been suggested that these profiles could be useful for diagnosis and classification of different tumor types and that these small RNAs might provide significant opportunities for the development of future miRNA-based therapies. In this review, we aimed to look into the realm of miRNAs, which is a recent area of research, appraise their biological activities on molecular level and their probable benefits on clinical practice.

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  1. Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler, 06500, Ankara, Turkey

    Nuray Varol & Ece Konac

  2. Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey

    O. Serhat Gurocak & Sinan Sozen

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  1. Nuray Varol
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  2. Ece Konac
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Correspondence to Ece Konac.

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Varol, N., Konac, E., Gurocak, O.S. et al. The realm of microRNAs in cancers. Mol Biol Rep 38, 1079–1089 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0205-0

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