doi: 10.5732/cjc.011.10142

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms among microRNA: big effects on cancer

Feng-Ju Song, Ke-Xin Chen

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Tianjin 300060, P. R. China. chenkexin 1963@yahoo.com.

[Abstract] MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the transcriptional or posttranscriptional level. Many miRNAs are found to play a significant role in cancer development either as tumor suppressor genes or as oncogenes. Examination of tumor-specific miRNA expression profiles in diverse cancers has revealed widespread deregulation of these molecules, whose loss and overexpression respectively have diagnostic and prognostic significance. Genetic variations, mostly single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within miRNA sequences or their target sites, have been found to be associated with many kinds of cancers. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of miRNAs including their biogenesis and role in cancer development, and finally, how SNPs among miRNAs affect miRNA biogenesis and contribute to cancer.

Chinese Journal of Cancer 2011, Volume: 30, Issue 6, Page: 381-391

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Feng-Ju Song, Ke-Xin Chen. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms among microRNA: big effects on cancer. Chin J Cancer. 2011, 30(6):381-391. doi:10.5732/cjc.011.10142


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