Circular RNA and miR-7 in Cancer

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 73; no. 18; pp. 5609 - 5612
• Main Authors: HANSEN, Thomas B, KJEMS, Jørgen, DAMGAARD, Christian K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 15.09.2013
• Subjects: Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Medical sciences; MicroRNAs - genetics; Multiple tumors. Solid tumors. Tumors in childhood (general aspects); Neoplasms - blood; Neoplasms - genetics; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; RNA - genetics; Tumors; Circular; Gene silencing; RNA interference; RNA; Micro RNA; Malignant tumor; Cancer
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-13-1568

MicroRNAs (miRNA) play important roles in fine-tuning gene expression and are often deregulated in cancer. The identification of competing endogenous RNA and circular RNA (circRNA) as important regulators of miRNA activity underscores the increasing complexity of ncRNA-mediated regulatory networks. Particularly, the recently identified circular RNA, ciRS-7, which acts as a designated miR-7 inhibitor/sponge, has conceptually changed the mechanistic understanding of miRNA networks. As miR-7 modulates the expression of several oncogenes, disclosing the regulation of miR-7 activity will likely advance the understanding of various cancer etiologies. Here, we review the current knowledge about the ciRS-7/miR-7 axis in cancer-related pathways and discuss possible models explaining the relevance of coexpressing miR-7 along with a circRNA inhibitor.