MicroRNA involvement in glioblastoma pathogenesis

MicroRNAs are endogenously expressed regulatory noncoding RNAs. Altered expression levels of several microRNAs have been observed in glioblastomas. Functions and direct mRNA targets for these microRNAs have been relatively well studied over the last years. According to these data, it is now evident, that impairment of microRNA regulatory network is one of the key mechanisms in glioblastoma pathogenesis. MicroRNA deregulation is involved in processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, invasion, glioma stem cell behavior, and angiogenesis. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of miRNA functions in glioblastoma with an emphasis on its significance in glioblastoma oncogenic signaling and its potential to serve as a disease biomarker and a novel therapeutic target in oncology. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.