Published online Jun 24, 2020. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v11.i6.348
Peer-review started: January 31, 2020
First decision: April 18, 2020
Revised: May 18, 2020
Accepted: May 21, 2020
Article in press: May 21, 2020
Published online: June 24, 2020
Processing time: 145 Days and 0 Hours
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of genes by sequence-specific binding to mRNA to either promote or block its translation; they can also act as tumor suppressors (e.g., let-7b, miR-29a, miR-99, mir-100, miR-155, and miR-181) and/or oncogenes (e.g., miR-29a, miR-125b, miR-143-p3, mir-155, miR-181, miR-183, miR-196b, and miR-223) in childhood acute leukemia (AL). Differentially expressed miRNAs are important factors associated with the initiation and progression of AL. As shown in many studies, they can be used as noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, which are useful in monitoring early stages of AL development or during therapy (e.g., miR-125b, miR-146b, miR-181c, and miR-4786), accurate classification of different cellular or molecular AL subgroups (e.g., let-7b, miR-98, miR-100, miR-128b, and miR-223), and identification and development of new therapeutic agents (e.g., mir-10, miR-125b, miR-203, miR-210, miR-335). Specific miRNA patterns have also been described for commonly used AL therapy drugs (e.g., miR-125b and miR-223 for doxorubicin, miR-335 and miR-1208 for prednisolone, and miR-203 for imatinib), uncovering miRNAs that are associated with treatment response. In the current review, the role of miRNAs in the development, progression, and therapy monitoring of pediatric ALs will be presented and discussed.
Core tip: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous gene expression regulators. By performing the function of oncogenes and/or tumor suppressors, they have become interesting candidates for early diagnosis, accurate classification, and predictors of prognosis in the most common childhood cancers, i.e. acute leukemia. The possibility of using modulation of miRNA levels in targeted therapy is also important. Because they are noninvasive and relatively easy to determine in biological samples, miRNAs are gaining increasing attention from scientists and clinicians.