AUTHOR=Saito Yoshimasa , Suzuki Hidekazu , Matsuura Misa , Sato Ayami , Kasai Yusuke , Yamada Kana , Saito Hidetsugu , Hibi Toshifumi 

TITLE=MicroRNAs in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2011

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2011.00066

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2011.00066

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that function as endogenous silencers of numerous target genes. Hundreds of miRNAs have been identified in the human genome. miRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner and play important roles in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. Aberrant expression of miRNAs may also contribute to the development and progression of human hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers. Recent studies have shown that some miRNAs play roles as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers. <italic>miR-122</italic>, <italic>let-7</italic> family, and <italic>miR-101</italic> are down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting that it is a potential tumor suppressor of HCC. <italic>miR-221</italic> and <italic>miR-222</italic> are up-regulated in HCC and may act as oncogenic miRNAs in hepatocarcinogenesis. miRNA expression profiling may be a powerful clinical tool for diagnosis and regulation of miRNA expression could be a novel therapeutic strategy for hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the roles of important tumor suppressor microRNAs and oncogenic microRNAs in hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers.</p>