International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

MicroRNA (miRNA) Technology in Cancer

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

MicroRNA (miRNA) technology has emerged as a pivotal tool in cancer research, offering profound insights into tumor biology and therapeutic strategies. miRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by binding to target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), leading to their degradation or translation inhibition. Aberrant miRNA expression is a hallmark of cancer, influencing critical processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis.

In cancer, miRNAs can act as oncogenes (oncomiRs) or tumor suppressors, depending on their target genes. For instance, miR-21 is frequently upregulated in various cancers and promotes tumor progression by targeting tumor suppressor genes, whereas miR-34a, a tumor suppressor, is often downregulated. This dual role makes miRNAs attractive candidates for both biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Advances in miRNA technology have facilitated the development of miRNA mimics and antagomirs (anti-miRNA oligonucleotides) for therapeutic purposes. miRNA-based diagnostics, using liquid biopsies, enable non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring. Furthermore, miRNA delivery systems, including nanoparticles and viral vectors, are being explored to enhance therapeutic precision and minimize off-target effects.

Despite challenges such as delivery efficiency and potential toxicity, miRNA technology holds immense promise in revolutionizing personalized cancer therapy and improving patient outcomes.

This Special Issue focuses on the trials and tribulations, together with successful breakthroughs concerning the implementation of miRNA technology for practical use in clinical oncology settings.

Dr. Duncan Ayers
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.

Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.

Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.

External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.

Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 3684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

miR-7-5p and Importin-7 Regulate the p53 Dynamics and Stability in Malignant and Benign Thyroid Cells

by Abeer Al-Abdallah, Iman Jahanbani and Bashayer Al-Shammari

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(12), 5813; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26125813 - 17 Jun 2025

Viewed by 224

Abstract

Thyroid carcinogenesis has multiple hallmarks, including evasion of tumor suppressors. Reactivation of wild-type p53 function is the ultimate goal in cancer therapy, which requires an understanding of the p53 suppression mechanism specific to the cancer type. MiR-7-5p and IPO7 are implicated in the pathogenesis of several human diseases. This work aims to investigate the role of miR-7-5p and IPO7 in p53 regulation in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cells. Primary cultured thyroid cells and FFPE thyroid tissues from PTC and benign cases were used. Functional experiments were performed by transfection with IPO7 siRNA or miR-7-5p mimic/inhibitor, followed by apoptosis and luciferase reporter assays, immunoblot assays, and RT-PCR. The expression and subcellular localization of IPO7, p53, MDM2, and ribosomal proteins (RPL11 and RPL5) were studied by immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. The results show that IPO7 is overexpressed in PTC and regulated by miR-7-5p. Modulation of IPO7 expression in cultured thyroid cells altered the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of p53, MDM2, RPL11, and RPL5, in addition to the p53 protein level and activity. The expression pattern of IPO7, p53, and MDM2 in cultured thyroid cells and clinical thyroid tissue specimens confirmed the association between IPO7 overexpression and reduced p53 stability in PTC. In conclusion, the data here show that p53 level and activity are differentially controlled in malignant and benign thyroid cells through miR-7-5P/IPO7-mediated regulation of RP-MDM2-p53 nucleocytoplasmic trafficking. In PTC, downregulation of miR-7-5p with consequent overexpression of IPO7 might be a protective mechanism used by cancer cells to evade p53 growth suppression during carcinogenesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MicroRNA (miRNA) Technology in Cancer)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1163 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential and Limitations of the MinION/Yenos Platform for miRNA-Enabled Early Cancer Detection

by Aleena Rafiq and Anastassia Kanavarioti

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(8), 3822; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26083822 - 17 Apr 2025

Viewed by 621

Abstract

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the pioneers who reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate and direct the switch between physiological and pathological pathways via their over- or underexpression. The discovery changed the medical landscape and there are many completed and on-going clinical studies based on miRNAs. MiRNAs occur at the femtomolar level in biological fluids and are typically quantified using amplification-based techniques. Experimental nanopores have illustrated potential for trace analysis including amplification-free miRNA quantification. We repurposed the MinION, the only commercially available nanopore array device, and developed unique probes and protocols to detect and measure miRNA copies in blood and urine. Here, we report that miRNA copies are proportional to the total RNA isolated from the biospecimen, and that three known miRNA cancer biomarkers, i.e., miR-21, miR-375, and miR-141, were more than 1.5-fold overexpressed in blood samples from breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancer patients compared to healthy patients. In these cancer samples, miR-15b was not overexpressed, in agreement with earlier studies. In contrast to literature reports, sample variability was undetectable in this study. The potential and limitations of this ready-to-use MinION/Yenos platform for multiple-cancer early detection (MCED) using blood or urine are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MicroRNA (miRNA) Technology in Cancer)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

MicroRNA (miRNA) Technology in Cancer

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI