Signaling by exosomal microRNAs in cancer

Germana FalconeEmail author,
Armando Felsani and
Igea D’AgnanoEmail author

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research201534:32

DOI: 10.1186/s13046-015-0148-3

Received: 6 February 2015

Accepted: 16 March 2015

Published: 2 April 2015

Abstract

A class of small non-coding RNAs, the microRNAs (miRNAs), have recently attracted great attention in cancer research since they play a central role in regulation of gene-expression and miRNA aberrant expression is found in almost all types of human cancer. The discovery of circulating miRNAs in body fluids and the finding that they are often tumor specific and can be detected early in tumorigenesis has soon led to the evaluation of their possible use as cancer biomarkers and treatment-response predictors. The evidence that tumor cells communicate via the secretion and delivery of miRNAs packed into tumor-released microvesicles has prompted to investigate miRNA contribution as signaling molecules to the establishment and maintenance of the tumor microenvironment and the metastatic niche in cancer. In this review we highlight the recent advances on the role of exosomal miRNAs as mediators of cancer cell-to-cell communication.