BACKGROUND Resistance towards chemotherapy is a major obstacle in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We investigated the role of specific microRNAs in chemotherapy resistance and tumor biology. METHODS We selected three microRNAs from characteristic microRNA signatures of resistant ESCC (hsa-miR-125a-5p, hsa-miR-130a-3p, hsa-miR-1226-3p), and hsa-miR-148a-3p. Effects ...

The role of microRNAs (miRs) as possible biomarkers and therapy targets has been extensively investigated in a number of types of cancer. However, the aberrant expression of miRs in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), particularly during the progression of the disease, is poorly understood. In the present study, the role of miRs as possible novel early pre-diagnostic biomarkers of LSCC wa...

In this issue of Blood, Zhou et al provide novel insights into Fc gamma type 2 receptor A (FcgRIIA)–mediated platelet activation. By identifying a negative regulator of FcgRIIA signaling, which is influenced by microRNA miR-148a, they present the first evidence of modulation of platelet function by microRNAs in vivo. They show that inhibition of miR-148a prevents thrombosis after immune complex...

Bicuspid aortic valves calcify at a significantly higher rate than normal aortic valves, a process that involves increased inflammation. Because we have previously found that bicuspid aortic valve experience greater stretch, we investigated the potential connection between stretch and inflammation in human aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs). Microarray, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and protein...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents a major challenge in the clinic due to its lack of reliable prognostic markers and targeted therapies. Accumulating evidence strongly supports the notion that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis and could serve as biomarkers for diagnostic purposes. To identify miRNAs that functionally suppress metastasis of TNBC, we employed a concerte...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved noncoding RNAs of about 19-25 nucleotides. Through specifically pairing with complementary sites in 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of target mRNAs, they mediate post-transcriptional silencing. MicroRNAs have been implicated in many physiological processes including proliferation, differentiation, development, apoptosis, and metabolism. In recent years man...

Gastric cancer (GC) develops through deregulation of gene expression and accumulation of epigenetic abnormalities, leading to tumor cell acquisition of malignant features. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in cancer development where they can act as oncogenes or oncosuppressors. To identify miRNAs that are associated with some clinicopathologic features of GC and/or participate in tumor p...

Differential expression of human leukocyte antigen C (HLA-C) allotypes is mediated by the binding of a microRNA, miR-148a, to the 3' untranslated region of some, but not all, HLA-C alleles. The binding results in lower levels of HLA-C expression, which is associated with higher levels of HIV-1 viral load among infected individuals. The alternative set of HLA-C alleles has several substitutions ...

BACKGROUND The poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is accounted for by the absence of early diagnostic markers and effective treatments. MicroRNAs inhibit the translation of their target mRNAs. The production of microRNAs is strongly altered in cancers, but the causes of these alterations are only partially known. DNA hypermethylation is a major cause of gene inactivation ...

There is a huge variability of hepatic CYP3A4 level in human populations, which was believed to contribute to different responses to drugs among individuals. Transcription of CYP3A4 was regulated by transcription factors such as pregnane X receptor (PXR). MiRNA hsa-miR-148a was previously reported to influence PXR expression in HepG2 cells and in Japanese populations. In this study, we conducte...