Abstract
Background
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding, endogenous, small RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression by inducing degradation or translational inhibition of target mRNAs. Aberrant expression of miRNAs appears to be a common characteristic of hematological malignancies including leukemias.
Aim
Here we review the available data supporting a role of aberrant expression of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of leukemias including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Conclusions
The expression signatures of miRNAs provide exciting opportunities in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of leukemia. Since miRNAs can function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in leukemogenesis, the potential of using these small RNAs as therapeutic targets opens up new opportunities for leukemia therapy by either inhibiting or augmenting their activity.
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Abbreviations
- MiRNAs:
-
MicroRNAs
- AML:
-
Acute myeloid leukemia
- CN-AML:
-
Cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia
- ALL:
-
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- CLL:
-
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- CML:
-
Chronic myeloid leukemia
- Ph:
-
Philadelphia chromosome
- BM:
-
Bone marrow
- USF2:
-
Upstream transcription factor 2
- BCL-2:
-
B-cell leukemia/lymphoma-2
- E2F-1:
-
E2 transcription factor family-1
- TCL-1:
-
T-cell leukemia/lymphoma1
- MCL-1:
-
Myeloid cell leukemia 1
- Itch:
-
Itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase homolog
- C/EBPα:
-
CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha
- PLK2:
-
Polo-like kinase 2
- AE:
-
AML1/ETO
- FLT3-ITD:
-
Internal tandem duplication of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3
- HOX:
-
Homeobox
- MEIS1:
-
Myeloid ecotropic viral integration site 1
- c-Kit:
-
v-Kit hardy-zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- MDR:
-
Minimally-deleted region
- DLEU:
-
Deleted in leukemia
- DLBCL:
-
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
- MBL:
-
Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis
- IgVH :
-
Immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable-region
- ZAP-70:
-
70-kDa zeta-associated protein
- LPL:
-
Lipoprotein lipase
- qRT-PCR:
-
Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
- OS:
-
Overall survival
- TFS:
-
Treatment-free survival
- OG:
-
Oncogene
- TS:
-
Tumor suppressor
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The authors wish to thank David Leif Anderson for valuable comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by a grant from Tarbiat Modares University.
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Babashah, S., Sadeghizadeh, M., Tavirani, M.R. et al. Aberrant microRNA expression and its implications in the pathogenesis of leukemias. Cell Oncol. 35, 317–334 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13402-012-0095-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13402-012-0095-3