MicroRNA Deregulations in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Abstract

ObjectivesHead and neck/oral cancer, predominantly head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), is the sixth most common cancer in the world. While substantial advances have been made to define the genomic alterations associated with head and neck/oral cancer, most studies are focused on protein coding genes. The aim of this article is to review the current literature on identified genomic aberrations of non-coding genes (e.g., microRNA) in head and neck/oral cancer (HNOC), and their contribution to the initiation and progression of HNOC.Material and MethodsA comprehensive review of the available literature relevant to microRNA deregulation in HNSCC/HNOC, was undertaken using PubMed, Medline, Scholar Google and Scopus. Keywords for the search were: microRNA and oral cancer, microRNA and squamous cell carcinoma, microRNA deregulation and oral cancer, microRNA and carcinogenesis in the head and neck/oral cavity. Only full length articles in the English language were included.ResultsWe recently identified a panel of microRNA deregulations that were consistently observed in HNSCC [Chen et al., Oral Oncol. 2012;48(8):686-91], including 7 consistently up-regulated microRNAs (miR-21, miR-7, miR-155, miR-130b, miR-223, miR-34b), and 4 consistently down-regulated microRNAs (miR-100, miR-99a, miR-125b, miR-375). In this review, we will first provide an overview on microRNA and HNSCC. We will then provide a comprehensive review on the roles of microRNA deregulations in HNSCC. The functional significance of the identified HNSCC-associated microRNAs and a number of other relevant microRNAs (e.g., miR-138, miR-98, miR-137, miR-193a and miR-218) will be discussed in detail.ConclusionsBased on current literature, microRNA deregulation plays a major role in head and neck/oral cancer.

A Quest for miRNA Bio-Marker: A Track Back Approach from Gingivo Buccal Cancer to Two Different Types of Precancers

“…In fact, hsa-miR-133a targets several oncogenes and is reported to be commonly down regulated in a number of other oral cancer studies [35]–[40]. Expression of both hsa-miR-31 and hsa-miR-31* was reported in some earlier study on cancer [41]–[42]. Study on OSCC cell line showed that exogenous delivery of pre-mir-31 , which boosts up quantity of mature hsa-miR-31 and hsa-miR-31* , enhanced OSCC oncogenicity [41]–[42].…”

Down Regulation of miR-34a and miR-143 May Indirectly Inhibit p53 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: a Pilot Study

“…As a consequence, deregulation in functioning or expression of miRNAs has been well-documented to result in a variety of human diseases, especially cancer, wherein miRNA themselves are known to function as oncogenes and tumor suppressors (Nelson and Weiss, 2008;Shiiba et al, 2010;Nohata et al, 2013). Several previous publications has substantiated the involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of OSCC, and a compendium of miRNAs were shown to be differentially expressed (Chang et al, 2008;Chen et al, 2013). However, there has been limited research in OSCC on miRNAs that regulate or are regulated by TP53.…”

miR-193a-3p Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in Lung Cancer by Down-regulating ERBB4

“…Among the miRNAs correlated with carcinogenesis, miR193a-3p is one of the most important. Dysregulation of miR193a-3p has been reported in various types of cancer, such as NSCLC (29), prostate cancer (30), breast cancer (31), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (32), colorectal cancer (33), myeloid leukemia (34), and Wilms tumor (35). The carcinogenic impact of miR-193a-3p has been attributed to its repression of c-Kit (34) and the PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway in acute myeloid leukemia (34); of KRAS and PLAU in colon cancer (36); of PLAU (37) and EGFR-driven cell cycle network proteins (38) in breast cancer; of ARHGAP19, CCND1, ERBB4, KRAS, and Mcl-1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (39); of PLAU in hepatocellular carcinoma (40); and of Mcl-1 in NSCLC (41).…”