MiR-21 in the Cancers of the Digestive System and Its Potential Role as a Diagnostic, Predictive, and Therapeutic Biomarker
Ha Thi Nguyen,
Salah Eddine Oussama Kacimi,
Truc Ly Nguyen,
Kamrul Hassan Suman,
Roselyn Lemus-Martin,
Humaira Saleem,
Duy Ngoc Do
Affiliations
Ha Thi Nguyen
Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Danang 550000, Vietnam
Salah Eddine Oussama Kacimi
Faculty of Medicine, University of Tlemcen, Tlemcen 13000, Algeria
Truc Ly Nguyen
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Kamrul Hassan Suman
Department of Fisheries Biology & Aquatic Environment, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
Roselyn Lemus-Martin
HPQC Labs, Waterloo, ON N2T2K9, Canada
Humaira Saleem
Jamil–ur–Rahman Center for Genome Research, Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Duy Ngoc Do
Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N5E3, Canada
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs. They can regulate the expression of their target genes, and thus, their dysregulation significantly contributes to the development of cancer. Growing evidence suggests that miRNAs could be used as cancer biomarkers. As an oncogenic miRNA, the roles of miR-21 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and its therapeutic applications have been extensively studied. In this review, the roles of miR-21 are first demonstrated via its different molecular networks. Then, a comprehensive review on the potential targets and the current applications as a diagnostic and prognostic cancer biomarker and the therapeutic roles of miR-21 in six different cancers in the digestive system is provided. Lastly, a brief discussion on the challenges for the use of miR-21 as a therapeutic tool for these cancers is added.
