Cancer-Derived Extracellular Vesicle-Associated MicroRNAs in Intercellular Communication: One Cell's Trash Is Another Cell's Treasure.

ABSTRACT: Several non-protein-coding genomic regions, previously marked as "junk DNA", have been reported to be transcriptionally active, giving rise to non-coding RNA species implicated in fundamental biological and pathological processes. In particular, microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs mediating post-transcriptional gene silencing, are causally involved in several human diseases, including various cancer types. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous structures physiologically released by most cell types. Initially, they were considered a "waste-removal" mechanism, through which cells could dispose unnecessary material and organelles. It is now widely demonstrated that EVs also play a critical role in intercellular communication, mediating the horizontal transfer of lipids,

SUBMITTER: Mills J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6940802 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature