The Role of the MiR-181 Family in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Jinbiao Chen,
Ken Liu,
Mathew A. Vadas,
Jennifer R. Gamble,
Geoffrey W. McCaughan
Affiliations
Jinbiao Chen
Liver Injury and Cancer Program, Cancer Innovations Centre, Centenary Institute, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Ken Liu
Liver Injury and Cancer Program, Cancer Innovations Centre, Centenary Institute, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Mathew A. Vadas
Vascular Biology Program, Healthy Ageing Centre, Centenary Institute, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Jennifer R. Gamble
Vascular Biology Program, Healthy Ageing Centre, Centenary Institute, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Geoffrey W. McCaughan
Liver Injury and Cancer Program, Cancer Innovations Centre, Centenary Institute, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Due to the high mortality rate in HCC patients, discovering and developing novel systemic treatment options for HCC is a vital unmet medical need. Among the numerous molecular alterations in HCCs, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been increasingly recognised to play critical roles in hepatocarcinogenesis. We and others have recently revealed that members of the microRNA-181 (miR-181) family were up-regulated in some, though not all, human cirrhotic and HCC tissues—this up-regulation induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in hepatocytes and tumour cells, promoting HCC progression. MiR-181s play crucial roles in governing the fate and function of various cells, such as endothelial cells, immune cells, and tumour cells. Previous reviews have extensively covered these aspects in detail. This review aims to give some insights into miR-181s, their targets and roles in modulating signal transduction pathways, factors regulating miR-181 expression and function, and their roles in HCC.
