Mini-ReviewsMicroRNAs创新.PDFVIP

Clinical Chemistry 55:4 Mini-Reviews 623–631 (2009) MicroRNAs: Novel Biomarkers for Human Cancer Claudine L. Bartels1 and Gregory J. Tsongalis1* BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small RNA mol- condition and that the ongoing development of tar- ecules of approximately 22 nucleotides, have been geted cancer therapies will continue to increase sur- shown to be up- or downregulated in specific cell types vival prospects. Human cancers comprise both genetic and disease states. These molecules have become rec- (inherited and acquired) and epigenetic alterations. ognized as one of the major regulatory gatekeepers of Many tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes have coding genes in the human genome. been described, and the discovery of new tumor mark- ers continues at a rapid pace (1). CONTENT: We review the structure, nomenclature, Recently, a novel group of biomarkers, micro- mechanism of action, technologies used for miRNA RNAs (miRNAs),2 has been discovered. These mole- detection, and associations of miRNAs with human cules appear to be cell type and disease specific, unlike cancer. miRNAs are produced in a tissue-specific man- most other biomarkers that are currently available. ner, and changes in miRNA within a tissue type can be miRNAs promise to have an impact on laboratory correlated with disease status. miRNAs appear to reg- medicine as new diagnostic and prognostic markers, as ulate mR