Open AccessGood or not good: Role of miR-18a in cancer biology
Author(s) -
Tomasz Kolenda,
Kacper Guglas,
Magda Kopczyńska,
Joanna Sobocińska,
Anna Teresiak,
Renata Bliźniak,
Katarzyna Lamperska
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
reports of practical oncology and radiotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2083-4640
pISSN - 1507-1367
DOI - 10.1016/j.rpor.2020.07.006
Subject(s) - oncomir , oncogene , microrna , biology , cancer , cluster (spacecraft) , biomarker , cell cycle , cancer research , autophagy , gene , computational biology , apoptosis , genetics , computer science , programming language
miR-18a is a member of primary transcript called miR-17-92a (C13orf25 or MIR17HG) which also contains five other miRNAs: miR-17, miR-19a, miR-20a, miR-19b and miR-92a. This cluster as a whole shows specific characteristics, where miR-18a seems to be unique. In contrast to the other members, the expression of miR-18a is additionally controlled and probably functions as its own internal controller of the cluster. miR-18a regulates many genes involved in proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, response to different kinds of stress, autophagy and differentiation. The disturbances of miR-18a expression are observed in cancer as well as in different diseases or pathological states. The miR-17-92a cluster is commonly described as oncogenic and it is known as 'oncomiR-1', but this statement is a simplification because miR-18a can act both as an oncogene and a suppressor. In this review we summarize the current knowledge about miR-18a focusing on its regulation, role in cancer biology and utility as a potential biomarker.