Resumen

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by blocking translation, or by inducing degradation, of messenger RNA targets. As a result, miRNAs have been found to regulate a wide spectrum of essential biological processes, including cell cycle progression, cell differentiation, development, apoptosis, and hematopoiesis, revealing one of the major regulating mechanisms of human gene expression. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that miRNAs are abnormally expressed in solid and hematological tumors, and are associated with oncogenic or tumor suppressor functions, suggesting a key role of miRNAs in carcinogenesis. Moreover, profiles of altered miRNA expression appear to be able to distinguish cancerous tissue from normal tissue, to predict disease outcome, and to evaluate tumor aggressiveness for several types of cancer, including lung cancer. Unique and highly stable miRNA expression profiles have also been found to be independent of patient age and race, thereby facilitating the potential application of miRNAs to disease diagnosis and prognosis. These findings are particularly promising for the overall treatment of lung cancer, a disease which is currently the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and is associated with a poor survival rate despite the discovery of novel therapies. This review describes the potential for miRNAs to serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis, classification, and prognosis of lung cancer cases, and presents the approaches currently available to detect and quantify miRNAs. Evidence is also presented regarding the use of circulating miRNAs as potential biomarkers for lung cancer, along with a description of miRNA biogenesis, nomenclature, and available databases for miRNA sequences.

Palabras clave: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) lung cancer biomarkers diagnosis prognosis.

2013-10-17   |   773 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 63 Núm.5. Septiembre-Octubre 2011 Pags. 516-535 Rev Invest Clin 2011; 63(5-ENGLISH)