MicroRNA-34 and gastrointestinal cancers: a player with big functions

• Published in: Cancer cell international Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 163
• Main Authors: Gao, Wei, Zhou, Jianping, Morshedi, Mohammadamin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 09.05.2024; BMC
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Cell cycle; Cell proliferation; Circular RNA; Colorectal cancer; Esophageal cancer; Exosome; Fatalities; Gastric cancer; Gastrointestinal cancer; Genes; Liver cancer; Medical prognosis; Metastases; Metastasis; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; miR-34; miRNA; Mutation; Non-coding RNA; Pancreatic cancer; Post-transcription; Proteins; Proto-oncogenes; Tumor suppressor genes; Tumors; MicroRNA; Exosome; Gastrointestinal cancer; miR-34
• ISSN: 1475-2867; 1475-2867
• DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03338-w

It is commonly assumed that gastrointestinal cancer is the most common form of cancer across the globe and is the leading contributor to cancer-related death. The intricate mechanisms underlying the growth of GI cancers have been identified. It is worth mentioning that both non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and certain types of RNA, such as circular RNAs (circRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs), can have considerable impact on the development of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. As a tumour suppressor, in the group of short non-coding regulatory RNAs is miR-34a. miR-34a silences multiple proto-oncogenes at the post-transcriptional stage by targeting them, which inhibits all physiologically relevant cell proliferation pathways. However, it has been discovered that deregulation of miR-34a plays important roles in the growth of tumors and the development of cancer, including invasion, metastasis, and the tumor-associated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Further understanding of miR-34a's molecular pathways in cancer is also necessary for the development of precise diagnoses and effective treatments. We outlined the most recent research on miR-34a functions in GI cancers in this review. Additionally, we emphasize the significance of exosomal miR-34 in gastrointestinal cancers.