MicroRNAs as Mediators of Tumor Cell State Transitions, Receptor Remodeling, Drug Resistance, and Systemic Metastasis

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biology and Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 1255

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Discipline of Surgery, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
Interests: breast cancer; tumor pathogenesis; cancer stem cells; genomics; microRNAs; precision diagnostics; liquid biopsy

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Guest Editor
Head of Discipline and Established Professor, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
Interests: translational medicine; precision oncology; breast cancer; microRNAs; liquid biopsy genomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solid epithelial tumors predominate among the most common cancers affecting the human population worldwide. Despite therapeutic advancements in precision medicine and strategic immunotherapy favoring a decline in mortality rates, the spontaneous emergence of undetected, therapy-resistant tumor variants markedly increases the overall risk of relapse and death. Heterogeneous clones that emerge randomly mid-therapy feature distinct traits, and their affinity for metastatic progression indicates a multi-gene network regulatory mechanism. An orchestrated gain or loss of regulatory molecular markers such as microRNAs, either as objective markers or in combination with other targeted genes and proteins, needs to be validated as an intermittent traceable alternative to the malignant status of tumors in situ. Such changes comprehensively represent the dysregulated molecular pathways in response to the tumor microenvironment and mediate the immune responsiveness of interacting cells in the tumor milieu. In addition, the presence of circulatory microRNAs tends to transiently alter this milieu, favoring the evolution of heterogeneous clones of resistant tumor cell variants. A spotlight on the effective mapping of the functionalities and timeliness of expression will address the therapeutic implications of microRNAs in restricting disease progression in solid epithelial tumors.

Dr. Vinitha Richard
Prof. Dr. Michael J. Kerin
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • solid epithelial tumors
  • cancer stem cells
  • microRNAs
  • epigenetics
  • cell state transitions
  • chemoresistance
  • immunosuppression
  • tumor microenvironment
  • metastasis

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 2341 KiB  
Article
Role of a Polyphenol-Enriched Blueberry Preparation on Inhibition of Melanoma Cancer Stem Cells and Modulation of MicroRNAs
by Nawal Alsadi, Nour Yahfoufi, Carolyn Nessim and Chantal Matar
Biomedicines 2024, 12(1), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12010193 - 16 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1077
Abstract
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer known for its high mortality rate. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells that significantly contribute to tumour recurrence and differentiation. Epigenetic-specific changes involving miRNAs maintain CSCs. Plant polyphenols have been reported to [...] Read more.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer known for its high mortality rate. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells that significantly contribute to tumour recurrence and differentiation. Epigenetic-specific changes involving miRNAs maintain CSCs. Plant polyphenols have been reported to be involved in cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy, with miRNAs being the novel effectors in their biological activities. A polyphenol-enriched blueberry preparation (PEBP) derived from fermented blueberries has demonstrated promising chemopreventative properties on breast cancer stem cells by influencing inflammatory pathways and miRNAs. In our current investigation, we seek to unveil the impact of PEBP on inhibiting melanoma development and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Our study employs various human cell lines, including an ex vivo cell line derived from a patient’s metastatic tumour. We found that it elevates miR-200c, increasing E-cadherin expression and inhibiting miR-210-3p through NF-κB signalling, impacting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a critical process in cancer progression. PEBP increases the SOCS1 expression, potentially contributing to miR-210-3p inhibition. Experiments involving miRNA manipulation confirm their functional roles. The study suggests that PEBP’s anti-inflammatory effects involve regulating miR-200c and miR-210 expression and their targets in EMT-related pathways. The overall aim is to provide evidence-based supportive care and preclinical evaluation of PEBP, offering a promising strategy for skin cancer chemoprevention. Full article
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