The emerging role of microRNA-22 in the Leukemia: experimental and clinical implications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs, approximately 20-24 nucleotides long that negatively regulate gene expression by either inhibiting translation or cleaving complementary mRNA to participate in various biological processes. Accumulating evidence has indicated that miRNAs are widely present in hematological cancers, particularly leukemia, exhibiting either upregulation or downregulation in leukemia patients compared with healthy controls. These miRNAs have a pivotal role in the development, progression and metastasis of leukemia, as well as in the prognosis and/or relapse of patients. miR-22 is one of the abnormally expressed miRNAs in a variety of leukemia diseases, and is considered to be one of the few cancer suppressors. Recent research has demonstrated that miR-22 is involved in the regulation of leukemia cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and could be a promising biomarker and prognostic indicator for leukemia. Here, we summarize all relevant findings that carry out experimental investigation and clinical analyses, aiming to elucidate the comprehensive implications of miR-22 in various types of leukemia for the development of new therapeutic and prognostic strategies and new drug targets for the treatment of leukemia.