Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Non-invasive Assessment of the Efficacy of New Therapeutics for Intestinal Pathologies Using Serial Endoscopic Imaging of Live Mice
Published on: March 10, 2015
MicroRNAs and inflammation in the pathogenesis and progression of colon cancer
Hirokazu Okayama1, Aaron J Schetter, Curtis C Harris
1Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
There is a strong connection between inflammation, altered microRNA (miRNA) expression and colon cancer. Longstanding inflammatory bowel diseases-related colitis leads to increased risk for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), while sporadic CRC is in part driven by the inflammatory microenvironment. This supports a causative role for inflammation in colon carcinogenesis. miRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that have recently emerged as key players in both inflammation and cancer. Some miRNAs act as inflammatory mediators, others can act as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors depending on the cellular environment in which they are expressed. In particular, miR-21 is an oncogenic miRNA that has been implicated as an inflammatory mediator and may promote inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis. miRNAs have potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in CRC. They are currently being evaluated as early detection biomarkers and prognostic classifiers. Polymorphisms in miRNAs and miRNA-binding sites may alter one's risk of CRC. This review will focus on the role of inflammation and miRNAs in colon carcinogenesis and discuss the potential for miRNAs and inflammatory genes to be used as biomarkers and therapeutic targets of CRC.
More Related Videos
10:33Molecular Profiling of the Invasive Tumor Microenvironment in a 3-Dimensional Model of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Ex vivo Fibroblasts
Published on: April 29, 2014
10:37Perturbations of Circulating miRNAs in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Detected Using a Multiplexed High-throughput Gene Expression Platform
Published on: November 30, 2016
Related Concept Videos
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...