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MicroRNAs, a Promising Target for Breast Cancer Stem Cells

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Abstract

Reactivation of the stem cell programme in breast cancer is significantly associated with persistent cancer progression and therapeutic failure. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are involved in the process of breast cancer initiation, metastasis and cancer relapse. Among the various important cues found in the formation and progression of BCSCs, microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) play a pivotal role by regulating the expression of various tumour suppressor genes or oncogenes. Accordingly, there is evidence that miRNAs are associated with BCSC self-renewal, differentiation, invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance, and therefore cancer recurrence. miRNAs execute their roles by regulating the expression of stemness markers, activation of signalling pathways or their components and regulation of transcription networks in BCSCs. Therefore, a better understanding of the association between BCSCs and miRNAs has the potential to help design more effective and safer therapeutic solutions against breast cancer. Thus, an miRNA-based therapeutic strategy may open up new horizons for the treatment of breast cancer in the future. In view of this, we present the progress to date of miRNA research associated with stemness marker expression, signalling pathways and activation of transcription networks to regulate the self-renewal, differentiation and therapy resistance properties of BCSCs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh

    Plabon Kumar Das, Mst. Ayesha Siddika, Saharia Yeasmin Asha, Suraiya Aktar, Md. Abdur Rakib, Jahan Ara Khanam & Farhadul Islam

  2. School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia

    Suja Pillai

  3. Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Farhadul Islam

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  1. Plabon Kumar Das
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  2. Mst. Ayesha Siddika
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Correspondence to Farhadul Islam.

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The authors (PKD, AS, SYA, SA, AR, JAK, SP and FI) declare no conflict of interest.

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Das, P.K., Siddika, M.A., Asha, S.Y. et al. MicroRNAs, a Promising Target for Breast Cancer Stem Cells. Mol Diagn Ther 24, 69–83 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-019-00439-5

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