Oncomirs — microRNAs with a role in cancer

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Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of negative gene regulators that have been shown to control a wide range of biological functions such as cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. About half of the annotated human miRNAs map within fragile regions of chromosomes, which are areas of the genome that are associated with various human cancers. Recent evidence indicates that miRNAs can function as tumour suppressors and oncogenes, and they are therefore referred to as 'oncomirs'. Factors that are required for the biogenesis of miRNAs have also been associated with various cancers and might themselves function as tumour suppressors and oncogenes. Expression profiling of miRNAs has been shown to be a more accurate method of classifying cancer subtypes than using the expression profiles of protein-coding genes. The differential expression of certain miRNAs in various tumours might become a powerful tool to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Gene therapies that use miRNAs might be an effective approach to blocking tumour progression. miRNAs such as let-7, which has been shown to negatively regulate the Ras oncogenes, and miR-15 and miR-16, which negatively regulate BCL2, are promising candidates for cancer treatment.