MicroRNA gene expression deregulation in human breast cancer.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that control gene expression by targeting mRNAs and triggering either translation repression or RNA degradation. Their aberrant expression may be involved in human diseases, including cancer. Indeed, miRNA aberrant expression has been previously found in human chronic lymphocytic leukemias, where miRNA signatures were associated with specific clinicobiological features. Here, we show that, compared with normal breast tissue, miRNAs are also aberrantly expressed in human breast cancer. The overall miRNA expression could clearly separate normal versus cancer tissues, with the most significantly deregulated miRNAs being mir-125b, mir-145, mir-21, and mir-155. Results were confirmed by microarray and Northern blot analyses. We could identify miRNAs whose expression was correlated with specific breast cancer biopathologic features, such as estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, tumor stage, vascular invasion, or proliferation index.

• Authors: Marilena V Iorio, Manuela Ferracin, Chang-Gong Liu, Angelo Veronese, Riccardo Spizzo, Silvia Sabbioni, Eros Magri, Massimo Pedriali, Muller Fabbri, Manuela Campiglio, Sylvie Ménard, Juan P Palazzo, Anne Rosenberg, Piero Musiani, Stefano Volinia, Italo Nenci, George A Calin, Patrizia Querzoli, Massimo Negrini, Carlo M Croce
• Journal: Cancer research (Cancer Res) Vol. 65 Issue 16 Pg. 7065-70 (Aug 15 2005) ISSN: 0008-5472 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16103053 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• MicroRNAs

Topics

• Blotting, Northern
• Breast Neoplasms (genetics, pathology)
• Gene Expression Profiling
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic (genetics)
• Humans
• MicroRNAs (genetics)