microrna in the control of stem-like phenotype of cancer cells

 

current therapies against metastatic tumors are still ineffective. cancer stem cells — a small subset of cells inside the tumor that possesses a self-renewal capacity — might be responsible for the recurrence of the tumor after anti-cancer therapies. their immortality and unique drug resistance impede their eradication during therapy. the ‘stemness’ of these cells is controlled by micrornas. these molecules possess the ability to downregulate gene expression by binding to the target mrna. it turns out that micrornas control the expression of approximately 60% of the genes in human cells. microrna aberrant expression can lead to cancer development and progression. therefore, recent research has focused on unraveling the role of microrna in maintaining a stem-like phenotype in malignant tumors and cancer stem cells. this review summarizes our current knowledge about micrornas that control the self-renewal capacity of cancer stem cells and indicates the importance of profound research aimed at developing efficient mirna-targeted therapies.