MicroRNA and drug resistance

Abstract

Chemotherapy is the preferred treatment for malignancies. However, a successful long-term use of chemotherapy is often prevented by the development of drug resistance. Many mechanisms such as gene mutation, DNA methylation and histone modification have important roles in the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Climent suggested miR-125b was involved in the development of drug resistance by microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation. miRNAs are endogenously expressed small non-coding RNAs, which are evolutionarily conserved and function as regulators of gene expression. Much effort has been exerted in analyzing the role of miRNAs in the development of drug resistance in a variety of malignancies. Several research groups have shown that the expressions of miRNAs in chemoresistant cancer cells and their parental chemosensitive ones are different. The molecular targets and mechanisms of chemosensitivity and chemoresistance are also elucidated. This article reviews the functions of miRNAs in the development of drug resistance.