Beyond HPV: Oncomirs as new players in cervical cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a recently discovered family of 18-24 nucleotide non-coding RNAs that can negatively regulate target mRNAs. All studied multicellular eukaryotes utilize miRNAs to regulate basic cellular functions including proliferation, differentiation, and death. It is now apparent that abnormal miRNA expression is a common feature of human malignancies. This review discusses the various cancer-relevant miRNAs (oncomirs) especially in cervical tumorigenesis and the potential role of oncomirs as therapeutic agents and targets for the treatment of cervical cancer. (c) 2008 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.