Functional miRNAs in breast cancer drug resistance

Abstract

Owing to improved early surveillance and advanced therapy strategies, the current death rate due to breast cancer has decreased; nevertheless, drug resistance and relapse remain obstacles on the path to successful systematic treatment. Multiple mechanisms responsible for drug resistance have been elucidated, and miRNAs seem to play a major part in almost every aspect of cancer progression, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. In recent years, exosomes have emerged as novel modes of intercellular signaling vehicles, initiating cell-cell communication through their fusion with target cell membranes, delivering functional molecules including miRNAs and proteins. This review particularly focuses on enumerating functional miRNAs involved in breast cancer drug resistance as well as their targets and related mechanisms. Subsequently, we discuss the prospects and challenges of miRNA function in drug resistance and highlight valuable approaches for the investigation of the role of exosomal miRNAs in breast cancer progression and drug resistance.

Keywords: breast cancer; drug resistance; exosome; microRNA.

Figure 1

miRNA-mediated mechanisms involved in the regulation of BCa drug resistance. Red arrows indicate oncogenic miRNAs and green arrows represent cancer suppressor miRNAs. Abbreviations: BCa, breast cancer; EGFR, epithelial growth factor receptor; CSC, cancer stem cell; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; EMT, epithelial–mesenchymal transition.