miR-145-mediated suppression of cell growth, invasion and metastasis

MicroRNAs are a large group of negative gene regulators that work through a posttranscriptional repression mechanism. Evidence indicates that microRNAs play a fundamental role in a wide range of biological functions such as cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In cancer, microRNAs may function as tumor suppressors and oncogenes, and therefore, they are referred to as 'oncomiRs'. In support of this notion, we have shown that miR-145 is underexpressed in tumor tissues and is capable of inhibiting tumor cell growth and invasion by targeting several genes such as c-Myc and mucin 1. This unique feature of miR-145-mediaed gene silencing may suggest that miR-145 is a potential cancer biomarker and serves as a novel target for cancer therapy.