Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRs), the 17- to 25-nucleotide-long non-coding RNAs, regulate expression of approximately 30% of the protein-coding genes at the post-transcriptional level and have emerged as critical components of the complex functional pathway networks controlling important cellular processes, such as proliferation, development, differentiation, stress response' and apoptosis. Abnormal expression levels of miRs, regulating critical cancer-associated pathways, have been implicated to play important roles in the oncogenic processes, functioning both as oncogenes and as tumour suppressor genes. Elucidation of the genetic networks regulated by the abnormally expressing miRs in cancer cells is proving to be extremely significant in understanding the role of these miRs in the induction of malignant-transformation-associated phenotypic changes. As a result, the miRs involved in the oncogenic transformation process are being investigated as novel biomarkers of disease detection and prognosis as well as potential therapeutic targets for human cancers. In this \article, we review the existing literature in the field documenting the significance of aberrantly expressed miRs in human pancreatic cancer and discuss how the oncogenic miRs may be involved in the genetic networks regulating functional pathways deregulated in this malignancy.
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Abbreviations
- 3′UTR:
-
3′ untranslated region
- CLL:
-
chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- CP:
-
chronic pancreatitis
- IGF-IR:
-
insulin-like growth factor type I receptor
- INSR:
-
insulin receptor
- IPA:
-
Ingenuity Pathway Analysis
- IPMN:
-
intraductal papillary neoplasms
- miR:
-
microRNAs
- mRNAs:
-
messenger RNAs
- mTOR:
-
mammalian target of rapamycin
- PDAC:
-
pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
- PDCD4:
-
programmed cell death 4
- pre-miR:
-
precursor miRNA
- pri-miRNA:
-
primary RNA
- PTEN:
-
phosphatase and tensin homologue 2
- RISC:
-
RNA-induced silencing complex
- TIMP3:
-
tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3
- TP53INP1:
-
tumour protein p53-induced nuclear protein 1
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the help of Ms Barbara Sadeghi in the preparation of this manuscript. The biomarker discovery work in SS’s laboratory is supported by a grant from the Early Detection Research Network of the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, USA.
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[Wang J and Sen S 2011 MicroRNA functional network in pancreatic cancer: From biology to biomarkers of disease. J. Biosci. 36 481–491] DOI 10.1007/s12038-011-9083-4
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Wang, J., Sen, S. MicroRNA functional network in pancreatic cancer: From biology to biomarkers of disease. J Biosci 36, 481–491 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-011-9083-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-011-9083-4