Abstract
The mortality of patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer can be ascribed to a large degree to metastasis to distant organs, predominantly to the bones. In this review, we discuss the contribution of micro-RNAs (miRs) to the metastatic process of prostate cancer. The criteria for selection of miRs for this review were the availability of preclinical in vivo metastasis-related data in conjunction with prognostic clinical data. Depending on their function in the metastatic process, the corresponding miRs are up- or down-regulated in prostate cancer tissues when compared to matching normal tissues. Up-regulated miRs preferentially target suppressors of cytokine signaling or tumor suppressor-related genes and metastasis-inhibitory transcription factors. Down-regulated miRs promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition or mesenchymal–epithelial transition and diverse pro-metastatic signaling pathways. Some of the discussed miRs exert their function by simultaneously targeting epigenetic pathways as well as cell-cycle-related, anti-apoptotic and signaling-promoting targets. Finally, we discuss potential therapeutic options for the treatment of prostate cancer-related metastases by substitution or inhibition of miRs.
- In vivo metastasis models
- interference with signaling networks
- miR substitution and inhibition
- prognostic aspects
- pro-metastatic pathways
- target validation
- review
- Received September 26, 2018.
- Revision received November 8, 2018.
- Accepted November 23, 2018.
- Copyright© 2019, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved