研究microRNA於人類卵巢癌的角色

Abstract

卵巢癌是世界上，婦女相關癌症致死的主要原因。本研究的主要目的在於以分子生物學的角度尤其是microRNA其及轉錄後的調控，研究卵巢癌生的致病性(包括生成以及惡化)。MicroRNA(miRNA or miRs)是一群non-coding的RNA。主要在轉錄後來調控其標靶基因的表現量。在卵巢的腫瘤生成中，miRNA及其標靶基因都扮演著重要的角色。由miRNA的基因表現圖譜可以看出在巢卵癌生成的不同時期會有不同的表現型態。大多數的miRNA可以抑制卵巢癌基因的表現，是做為抑癌基因，但有少部分異常的miRNA會增加卵巢癌基因的表現量，是為原癌基因。在這些不同型態的miRNA表現圖譜中，有些可以做為預測的表徵或診斷量，有些則可以做為存活結果、化學抗藥性、侵入性以及惡化的參考。雖然在此領域miRNA及其標靶基因的表現圖譜的型態要如何解釋仍在發展中，但這部分的資訊在將來會是在預測、診斷或治療卵巢癌扮演不可獲缺的角色。

Ovarian Cancer is the main cause of gynecological related cancer deaths worldwide. The major purpose of this work is to put some light on the most recent findings and studies regarding ovarian cancer pathogenesis (initiation and progression) on the molecular level, in particular microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), a class of non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and their target genes involved in ovarian cancer. Both play a major role in ovarian tumorigenesis. Many miRNA expression profiling surveys have revealed changes in miRNA patterns that are involved during ovarian cancer development. Most of these deregulated miRNAs are down-regulated that could act as tumor suppressors, while the others are aberrantly up-regulated which represent oncogenes. Among these patterns, some could serve as prognostic signature as well as diagnostic value, others may have important role in survival outcome, chemoresistance, invasiveness and progression. Although much still to be elucidated in this area, better understanding of miRNAs and their targets could provide useful interpretation for the prognosis, diagnosis and future therapy for this vicious disease.