MicroRNAs: a new insight into cancer genome.

Cancer is a disease involving multi-step dynamic changes in the genome. However, studies on cancer genome so far have focused most heavily on protein-coding genes, and our knowledge on alterations of the functional noncoding sequences in cancer is largely absent. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are approximately 22 nt noncoding RNAs, which regulate gene expression in a sequence-specific manner via translational inhibition or mRNA degradation. Mounting evidence is showing that miRNAs may play important roles in tumor development, and a better understanding of their alteration in cancer genome and oncogenic property should contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.