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The roles of microRNAs in sarcomas
Author(s) -
Drury Ruth,
Verghese Eldo T,
Hughes Thomas A
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.4037
Subject(s) - microrna , carcinogenesis , biology , computational biology , sarcoma , cancer , metastasis , angiogenesis , identification (biology) , cancer research , bioinformatics , gene , genetics , medicine , pathology , botany
MicroRNAs are a class of small regulatory RNAs that influence the stabilities and translational efficiencies of target mRNAs. They have been implicated in an increasing number of biological processes, including carcinogenesis. A huge body of literature exists documenting up‐ or down‐regulation of specific microRNAs during carcinogenesis and identifying molecular pathways by which these microRNAs influence every aspect of cancer development, including proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. These studies have provided many insights into basic cancer biology as well as allowing identification of novel biomarkers and potential drug targets. However, the vast bulk of this literature concerns solid epithelial tumours, while sarcomas remain relatively under‐studied. The purpose of this article is to review the roles of microRNAs in sarcomas and to highlight microRNAs or related molecular pathways that demonstrate consistent roles within individual or across sarcoma subtypes, with a view to identifying the key regulatory molecules. Further insights into sarcoma biology may be particularly valuable since sarcomas represent a tumour group with a particularly poor prognosis and rather limited treatment options. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.