MicroRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma:pathogenesis and therapy

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an astonishing new class of gene regulators, and it had been documented that these molecules play a crucial role in various biological processes, including development, differentiation, metabolism, hematopoiesis, cell cycle and apoptosis. Most importantly, deregulated miRNAs have been implicated in cancer pathogenesis, behaving either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive human malignancies worldwide. Recent work indicates selective overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs and down-regulation of tumor suppressive miRNAs in HCC. The aim of this review is to summarize results from key studies characterizing the miRNA expression profiles of HCC and give a brief introduction on the functional analyses of certain key miRNAs. In addition, this review outlines novel therapeutic strategies based on miRNA modulation.