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Profiling of Estrogen-regulated MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Cells
16:24

Profiling of Estrogen-regulated MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Cells

Published on: February 21, 2014

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Epigenetic Regulation of miRNAs and Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Nadire Duru1, Ramkishore Gernapudi1, Gabriel Eades1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Current Pharmacology Reports
|June 9, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Chemopreventive strategies targeting microRNAs (miRNAs) show promise for breast cancer. These agents can epigenetically activate tumor-suppressing miRNAs, inhibiting ductal carcinoma in situ stem cells and preventing invasive progression.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulators in cancer development and progression.
  • Dysregulation of miRNAs is observed early in breast cancer, even in non-malignant stages like Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS).
  • Dietary chemopreventive agents offer potential therapeutic strategies by modulating miRNA expression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of miRNAs in early breast cancer, specifically DCIS.
  • To explore how chemopreventive agents impact miRNA signaling pathways.
  • To determine if chemopreventive agents can target DCIS stem cells via miRNA activation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of miRNA dysregulation in early breast cancer.
  • Investigating the epigenetic activation of miRNA pathways by chemopreventive agents.
  • Assessing the effect of chemopreventive agents on DCIS stem cells and tumor formation in vivo.

Main Results:

  • miRNAs are dysregulated at the earliest stages of breast cancer (DCIS).
  • Chemopreventive agents can epigenetically activate miRNA signaling pathways.
  • Activated miRNAs target cancer stem cell signaling, inhibiting DCIS stem cells and blocking tumor formation.
  • miRNAs play a role in regulating DCIS stem cells, influencing progression to invasive disease.

Conclusions:

  • MicroRNAs are critical early targets for breast cancer chemoprevention.
  • Dietary agents can activate tumor suppressor miRNAs, offering a novel strategy against DCIS.
  • Targeting DCIS stem cells through miRNA activation presents a promising approach to prevent invasive breast cancer progression.
Keywords:
Cancer stem cellChemopreventionDCISEpigeneticsbreast cancermicroRNAs

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