MicroRNAs in the development and progression of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the cancers with high incidence and mortality rates among US men. Even though prostate-specific antigen screening and other diagnostic approaches have improved patient prognosis, an urgent need for molecularly-based biomarkers of progression persists. MicroRNA (miRNA) dysregulation can have profound consequences as the loss of tumor-suppressive miRNAs enhances the expression of target oncogenes, while the upregulation of oncogenic miRNAs represses the target tumor suppressor genes. The realization of the importance of miRNAs in biological processes has led to a quest to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating miRNAs using a variety of model systems and to entertain the possibility of using miRNA antagonists or mimics for anticancer therapy. The promise of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic markers will also need to be realized by using validated datasets and standardized methodologies which will give us a way to compare and verify expression profiles. Here, we discuss the past and current studies which have led us to this point as miRNA-based therapeutics make their way into clinical trials.