Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Biol Chem. Feb 26, 2017; 8(1): 45-56
Published online Feb 26, 2017. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v8.i1.45
Role of microRNAs in translation regulation and cancer
Stefania Oliveto, Marilena Mancino, Nicola Manfrini, Stefano Biffo
Stefania Oliveto, Marilena Mancino, Nicola Manfrini, Stefano Biffo, INGM, National Institute of Molecular Genetics “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi”, 20122 Milano, Italy
Stefano Biffo, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Author contributions: Oliveto S collected the data and wrote the manuscript; Mancino M collected the data; Manfrini N and Biffo S critically revised the article.
Supported by Fondazione BUZZI Unicem.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Stefano Biffo, PhD, Program Leader of INGM, Professor of Cell Biology and Comparative Anatomy, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20133 Milano, Italy. biffo@ingm.org
Telephone: +39-02-00660304
Received: August 23, 2016
Peer-review started: August 24, 2016
First decision: October 8, 2016
Revised: December 30, 2016
Accepted: January 16, 2017
Article in press: January 18, 2017
Published online: February 26, 2017
Processing time: 185 Days and 20.6 Hours
Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are pervasively expressed and regulate most biological functions. They function by modulating transcriptional and translational programs and therefore they orchestrate both physiological and pathological processes, such as development, cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and tumor growth. miRNAs work as small guide molecules in RNA silencing, by negatively regulating the expression of several genes both at mRNA and protein level, by degrading their mRNA target and/or by silencing translation. One of the most recent advances in the field is the comprehension of their role in oncogenesis. The number of miRNA genes is increasing and an alteration in the level of miRNAs is involved in the initiation, progression and metastases formation of several tumors. Some tumor types show a distinct miRNA signature that distinguishes them from normal tissues and from other cancer types. Genetic and biochemical evidence supports the essential role of miRNAs in tumor development. Although the abnormal expression of miRNAs in cancer cells is a widely accepted phenomenon, the cause of this dysregulation is still unknown. Here, we discuss the biogenesis of miRNAs, focusing on the mechanisms by which they regulate protein synthesis. In addition we debate on their role in cancer, highlighting their potential to become therapeutic targets.

Keywords: MicroRNA; Translation; Cancer; OncomiR; Tumor suppressor

Core tip: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs (19-25 bp in length) which negatively regulate gene expression at the mRNA and protein level. By binding coding transcripts, miRNAs cause degradation or translation inhibition of their target genes and affect a multitude of biological processes, such as proliferation and tumor growth. In this review we critically analyze the mechanism of action of miRNAs and their potential role in cancer, opening a window on future perspectives for their use as novel therapeutic targets.