MicroRNA-372 acts as a double-edged sword in human cancers

Fatemeh Tajik; Fatemeh Alian; Mohammad Yousefi; Ali Azadfallah; Aref Hoseini; Forogh Mohammadi; Maryam Karimi-Dehkordi; Shahin Alizadeh-Fanalou

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15991

MicroRNA-372 acts as a double-edged sword in human cancers

Heliyon. 2023 May 9;9(5):e15991. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15991. eCollection 2023 May.

Authors

Fatemeh Tajik¹, Fatemeh Alian², Mohammad Yousefi³, Ali Azadfallah³, Aref Hoseini⁴, Forogh Mohammadi⁵, Maryam Karimi-Dehkordi⁶, Shahin Alizadeh-Fanalou⁷

Affiliations

¹ Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
⁴ Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁵ Department of Veterinary, Agriculture Faculty, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.
⁶ Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.
⁷ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are non-coding, single-stranded, endogenous RNAs that regulate various biological processes, most notably the pathophysiology of many human malignancies. It process is accomplished by binding to 3'-UTR mRNAs and controlling gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. As an oncogene, miRNAs can either accelerate cancer progression or slow it down as a tumor suppressor. MicroRNA-372 (miR-372) has been found to have an abnormal expression in numerous human malignancies, implying that the miRNA plays a role in carcinogenesis. It is both increased and downregulated in various cancers, and it serves as both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene. This study examines the functions of miR-372 as well as the LncRNA/CircRNA-miRNA-mRNA signaling pathways in various malignancies and analyses its potential prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications.

Keywords: Cancer; Function; Importance; MicroRNA-372; Oncogene; Tumor suppressor.

Publication types

Review