Biological Function of MicroRNA193a-3p in Health and Disease

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that act mainly as negative regulators of gene expression. Several studies demonstrated that miRNAs take part in numerous biological processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. The dysregulation of miRNAs has been frequently observed in different types of disease, including cancer. Here, we provide a comprehensive review on the human miR-193a-3p by considering its role in both physiological and pathological contexts. Different mechanisms involved in regulating miR-193a-3p expression have been reported, including epigenetic modifications and transcription factors. In physiological contexts, miR-193a-3p seemed able to limit proliferation and cell cycle progression in normal cells. Remarkably, several publications demonstrated that miR-193a-3p acted as a tumor suppressor miRNA in cancer by targeting different genes involved in proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and metastasis. Furthermore, the downregulation of miR-193a-3p has been observed in many primary tumors and altered levels of circulating miR-193a-3p have been identified in serum or plasma of cancer patients and subjects affected by Parkinson's disease or by schizophrenia. In a clinical perspective, further studies are needed to explore the antitumor effects of the miR-193a-3p mimics delivery and the relevance of this miRNA detection as a possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarker.

miR‑186 promotes tumor growth in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma by inhibiting apoptotic protease activating factor‑1

“…Despite advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cSCC worldwide, the exact molecular basis of cSCC remains unclear ( 5 , 26 , 27 ). miRNAs are considered to be important genetic regulators of various biological processes, including cell proliferation, development, invasion and apoptosis ( 28 – 30 ). A number of previous studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases, particularly different types of cancer ( 12 , 31 , 32 ).…”

Akt3 is a target of miR-29c-3p and serves an important function in the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease

“…miRNAs have recently become a focus of research. Their main function is post-transcriptional gene regulation in plants and animals (32)(33)(34), and studies have increasingly focused on their function in heart development (35)(36)(37). We identified previously that miR-29c-3p is upregulated in the serum of pregnant women carrying fetuses with CHD (9).…”

Nutrition, Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics

“…For instance, miRNAs have been used to target tumor-suppressor mRNAs or oncogene mRNAs [99]. The tumor-suppressor miRNA named miR-193a-3p has been demonstrated to affect proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and metastasis [100]. In another approach, it was demonstrated that HDAC inhibitors could modulate miR-200 expression, presenting a novel strategy having the potential for breast cancer treatment [101].…”