A reporter assay to detect transfer and targeting of miRNAs in stem cell-breast cancer co-cultures.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small molecules, which regulate cellular function by mediating transient translational repression. Recent studies have demonstrated a role for miRNAs as important modulators of stem cell function that can be transferred from cell to cell through gap junctional intercellular communication. Similar transfer of miRNAs has been implicated in the etiology of breast cancer dormancy. To this end, we have developed a miRNA reporter assay to assess the ability of miRNAs to be transferred between stem and breast cancer cells and target a specific recognition sequence.