MiR-205-5P AS POTENTIAL BIOMARKER AND THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
Keywords:
miRNAAbstract
Dear Editor,
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 6th most common type of cancer in the world, affecting the nasal cavity, oral cavity, tongue, pharynx (nasopharynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx), and also larynx. HNSCC is estimated to affect over 500,000 people worldwide each year. Tobacco, alcohol, and human papillomavirus infection are among the risk factors for HNSCC. The primary treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite current therapeutic advances, recurrence and metastatic spread remain the two primary causes of poor survival rates in patients diagnosed with HNSCC. As a result, there is an immediate requirement to find new biomarkers linked to HNSCC and to test the efficacy of therapeutic strategies in HNSCC patients [1, 2].
A biomarker is described as a single moiety or a complex mixture of biological molecules that are measured and evaluated objectively as an index of normal cellular, pathogenic, or pharmacologic reaction to a therapeutic treatment. Biomarkers could provide important insights into tumor growth and contribute to the formation of new therapies. The investigation of cancer biomarkers that can provide diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic info has become a needed but difficult task in cancer research [3]. The finding of miRNAs has recently piqued researchers’ interest, following the detection of Lin-4, the first member of the miRNA family, in C. elegans in 1993. An enormous number of miRNAs have been discovered and studied and a plethora of miRNAs has been recognized to revolve in human carcinogenesis by acting as “oncomiRNAs” or “tumor suppressive miRNAs”. Surprisingly, miRNAs have demonstrated excellent promise as a new group of biomarkers in cancer owing to the widespread cancer-associated abnormal expression pattern of dysregulated miRNAs as well as miRNA properties such as spatial or temporal specificity, stability and sensitivity in both paraffin specimens and body fluids [4].
MiRNAs are highly conserved non-coding RNAs of 19–24 nucleotides in length that can regulate the expression of genes by binding to the 30 untranslated regions of target messenger RNAs. Many miRNAs have already been linked to the development of cancer-related characteristics. Because of their widespread expression and ability to tightly govern the gene expression of a wide range of genes and pathways in a single hit, miRNAs are valuable therapeutic targets to pursue in the hunting for new treatment options. The miRNA system can be used for therapeutic purposes by replacing tumor-suppressing miRNAs lost in cancer or by inhibiting oncogenic miRNAs overexpressed in cancer (Figure) [5]. The information retrieved from miRNAs signatures as potential biomarkers is already providing evidence allowing us to understand better and treat discrete tumors; and the implementations of these mighty molecules in cancer therapeutics carry great promise for the future.
Figure. Role of miRNAs in cancerRecently, it was discovered that miR-205-5p, which is positioned at 1q32.2, is overexpressed in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Furthermore, studies have revealed that miR-205-5p is found to be overexpressed in HNSCC cell lines and take part in lung and hepatocellular and breast cancers [6]. According to recent research, miR-205-5p plays a crucial role in facilitating many biological processes such as proliferation, invasiveness, migration, senescence and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer, and cervical cancer. Recent research explained that increasing the miR-205-5p expression in endothelial progenitor cells increased vascular recanalization and stabilized angiogenesis. As a result, it has been revealed that miR-205-5p is a novel diagnostic biomarker that can be used to predict and study cancer progression, and thus merits further investigation [7]. MiR-205-5p has been shown to induce apoptosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by directly targeting and affecting the Bcl-2 pathway, implying that miR-205-5p may be connected with onset and HNSCC development [8].
Recently, using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology (KEGG & GO) analyses, Zhou et al. [2] discovered that miR-205-5p was linked to HNSCC progression via signaling pathways such as the drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 pathway. MiR-205-5p was discovered to have important targets in the genes of alcohol dehydrogenase 1B and flavin-containing monooxygenase isoform-2. Moreover, they stated that miR-205-5p may play a vital role in the HNSCC prognosis and may be an excellent biomarker for the disease. However, the pivotal nature and molecular mechanism of miR-205-5p in HNSCC signaling pathways has not been yet clearly elucidated. Hence, the role of miR-205-5p as a novel and effective biomarker needs to be investigated and gained immense interest further in terms of understanding its molecular mechanisms and targets, particularly in connection to HNSCC.
References
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