Therapeutic targeting of miRNA-216b in cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/or miR) are a type of small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by binding to 3'-UTRs of the target genes. miRNAs can serve as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, and have prognostic and therapeutic values that may be directly applicable in the clinic. miR-216b is located on chromosome 2p16.1. Accumulating evidence suggests that it acts as a tumor suppressor and its downregulation may play a significant role in cancer biology through the dysregulation of various oncogenes and signaling pathways related to cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and chemoresistance. In this review, we discuss the aberrant expression of miR-216b in cancer and its role in tumor pathogenesis, which will offer novel insights into its clinical applications.