Abstract：
Since the discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) in Caenorhabditis elegans, our understanding of their cellular function has progressed continuously. Today, we have a good understanding of miRNA-mediated gene regulation, miRNA-mediated cross talk between genes including competing endogenous RNAs, and miRNA-mediated signaling transduction both in normal human physiology and in diseases.Besides, these noncoding RNAs have shown their value for clinical applications, especially in an oncological context. They can be used as reliable biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis and attract increasing attention as potential therapeutic targets. Many achievements made in the miRNA field are based on joint efforts from computational and molecular biologists. Systems biology approaches, which integrate computational and experimental methods, have played a fundamental role in uncovering the cellular functions of miRNAs.In this chapter, we review and discuss the role of miRNAs in oncology from a system biology perspective. We first describe biological facts about miRNA genetics and function. Next, we discuss the role of miRNAs in cancer progression and review the application of miRNAs in cancer diagnostics and therapy. Finally, we elaborate on the role that miRNAs play in cancer gene regulatory networks. Taken together, we emphasize the importance of systems biology approaches in our continued efforts to study miRNA cancer regulation.
摘要：
自从在秀丽隐杆线虫中发现microRNAs(miRNAs),我们对它们的细胞功能的理解一直在进步。今天,我们对miRNA介导的基因调控有很好的理解，miRNA介导的基因之间的串扰，包括竞争性内源性RNA，和miRNA介导的信号转导在正常的人类生理和疾病。此外,这些非编码RNA已经显示出它们的临床应用价值，尤其是在肿瘤方面.它们可以用作癌症诊断和预后的可靠生物标志物，并作为潜在的治疗靶标引起越来越多的关注。miRNA领域取得的许多成果都是基于计算和分子生物学家的共同努力。系统生物学方法，集成了计算和实验方法，在揭示miRNAs的细胞功能方面发挥了重要作用。在这一章中,我们从系统生物学的角度回顾和讨论了miRNAs在肿瘤学中的作用。我们首先描述有关miRNA遗传学和功能的生物学事实。接下来,我们讨论了miRNAs在癌症进展中的作用，并综述了miRNAs在癌症诊断和治疗中的应用。最后,我们详细阐述了miRNAs在癌基因调控网络中的作用。一起来看,我们强调了系统生物学方法在我们继续努力研究miRNA癌症调控中的重要性.
