Circulating MicroRNAs: Molecular Microsensors in Gastrointestinal Cancer

Sensors

Moisés Blanco-Calvo¹  Lourdes Calvo²  Angélica Figueroa¹  Mar Haz-Conde¹  Luis Antón-Aparicio¹ 

[1]Biomedical Research Institute of A Coruña, As Xubias 84, E-15006 A Coruña, Spain

[2] E-Mails:

[3]Clinical Oncology Department, A Coruña University Hospital, As Xubias 84, E-15006 A Coruña, Spain

[4] E-Mail:

关键词: circulating microRNAs;    biomarkers;    gastrointestinal cancer;    oesophageal cancer;    gastric cancer;    pancreatic cancer;    liver cancer;    colorectal cancer;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s120709349

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules of single strand non-coding RNAs, which are able to regulate gene expression. miRNAs have been involved in multiple cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation, thus alterations in miRNA expression have been shown to be directly linked with the pathological origin of multiple diseases, including cancer. In this way, during last few years, an increasing number of exciting advances have contributed to the understanding of miRNA roles in cancer. Moreover, researchers have exploited the special characteristics of miRNAs, such as the tissue and disease specificity or miRNA presence in blood, to explore their use as non-invasive tumour markers. In the present review, we summarize the current data on the potential usefulness of circulating miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic tools in gastrointestinal tumours.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.