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Epigenetics, MicroRNAs and Human Cancer

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MicroRNAs: Key Regulators of Oncogenesis

Abstract

Classical genetics alone cannot explain how cancer occurs pretty well, and the proposal of concept of epigenetics provides a partial explanation about the cause of cancers. DNA methylation and histone modifications are the best-known epigenetic marks. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenous, single-stranded, non-coding small RNA with 18–22 nucleotides in length, play a critical role in initiation, progression, metastasis and invasion of cancers. It is widely recognized that deregulation of miRNAs is a hallmark of cancer. The expression of miRNAs can be regulated by several mechanisms, including epigenetic changes. Furthermore, it has been discovered that a subgroup of miRNAs, which are known as epi-miRNAs, can regulate the expression of effectors of the epigenetic mechanisms by directly or indirectly targeting these epigenetic-modifying enzymes and molecules. This chapter will focus on how epigenetic changes regulate the miRNAs expression as well as how epi-miRNAs affect the epigenome, and how to translate these findings into clinical application.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery and Center of Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Wuxi Second Hospital, 214002, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

    Jiazeng Xia, Xiaoqiang Guo & Kaiyuan Deng

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  1. Jiazeng Xia
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  2. Xiaoqiang Guo
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Correspondence to Jiazeng Xia .

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  1. Dept. of Molec. Genetics, Fac. of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Sadegh Babashah

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Xia, J., Guo, X., Deng, K. (2014). Epigenetics, MicroRNAs and Human Cancer. In: Babashah, S. (eds) MicroRNAs: Key Regulators of Oncogenesis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03725-7_2

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