鼻咽癌放射抗拒相关microRNAs研究进展

鼻咽癌是一种起源于鼻咽部上皮组织的鳞状细胞恶性肿瘤,在东南亚和中国华南地区具有很高的发病率,目前放疗已成为鼻咽癌的首选治疗方式。放射抗拒是鼻咽癌放疗成功的主要障碍,寻找鼻咽癌放射抗拒相关的生物标志物,明确放射抗拒的产生机制,对治疗具有重大意义。MicroRNAs通过结合靶mRNA的3’UTR 从而诱导其翻译抑制或降解,调节蛋白的表达,参与放疗反应相关的所有重要的细胞过程如DNA损伤反应与修复、细胞凋亡、增殖以及血管生成的调节。近年来鼻咽癌放射抗拒相关microRNAs的研究成为热点,本文就microRNAs及其潜在的作用机制进行综述。

Research progress in microRNAs associated with radioresistance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a squamous cell carcinoma originating from the nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues with a high incidence in Southeast Asia and South China. At present, radiotherapy has become the primary therapeutic modality to treat NPC. Resistance to radiotherapy poses a serious obstacle to successful therapy for NPC. It is of great importance to identify the biomarkers related to the NPC radioresistance and unravel the mechanism of radioresistance for the diagnosis and treatment of NPC patients. MicroRNAs induce translational repression or degradation of targeted mRNAs by binding to their 3’UTRs and regulate the expression of protein. MicroRNAs are involved in the regulation of all important cellular processes associated with response to the radiotherapy, such as DNA damage response and repair, cellular apoptosis, proliferation and angiogenesis. In recent years, the study of miRNAs associated with radioresistance of NPC has captivated widespread attention from researchers. In this review, relevant microRNAs and their potential mechanisms were summarized.