Roles of MicroRNAs in cancer stem cells / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

Cancer stem cells are cells with stem cell characteristics within a tumor. With increased proliferative capabilities, they are able to self-renew and develop into various cell types, and thus play important roles in the formation, development, metastasis, and recurrence of tumors. MicroRNAs are a class of endogenous, small non-protein coding RNA molecules. Through regulating the expression of genes depending on the complementation between the microRNAs and their targets, microRNAs play important roles in various human cancers. This article summarizes recent research advances in the roles of microRNAs in cancer stem cells.