AUTHOR=Huang Jing-Tao , Wang Jin , Srivastava Vibhuti , Sen Subrata , Liu Song-Mei 

TITLE=MicroRNA Machinery Genes as Novel Biomarkers for Cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2014.00113

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2014.00113

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) directly and indirectly affect tumorigenesis. To be able to perform their myriad roles, miRNA machinery genes, such as <italic>Drosha</italic>, <italic>DGCR8</italic>, <italic>Dicer1</italic>, <italic>XPO5</italic>, <italic>TRBP</italic>, and <italic>AGO2</italic>, must generate precise miRNAs. These genes have specific expression patterns, protein-binding partners, and biochemical capabilities in different cancers. Our preliminary analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas consortium on multiple types of cancer revealed significant alterations in these miRNA machinery genes. Here, we review their biological structures and functions with an eye toward understanding how they could serve as cancer biomarkers.</p>