Topic Highlight
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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2014; 20(15): 4288-4299
Published online Apr 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i15.4288
MicroRNAs in colorectal cancer as markers and targets: Recent advances
Jing-Jia Ye, Jiang Cao
Jing-Jia Ye, Jiang Cao, Clinical Research Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Ye JJ and Cao J contributed to this paper.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30271450, No. 30471955, No. 30672365 and No. 81172516
Correspondence to: Jiang Cao, PhD, Clinical Research Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jie-fang Road, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China. caoj@zju.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-571-87315202 Fax: +86-571-87315201
Received: September 27, 2013
Revised: January 2, 2014
Accepted: January 19, 2014
Published online: April 21, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: MicroRNAs represent one of the important epigenetic modifications for gene expression and play important roles in all aspects of cellular activities. Altered expression of microRNAs has been found in various human diseases including cancer. Aberrant microRNAs can be detected not only intracellularly within the cancer cells, but also extracellularly in plasma of patients, postulating the potential of aberrant microRNAs as promising diagnostic/prognostic markers and attracting therapeutic targets. This review focuses on recent advances in identification, validation and functional analyses for such microRNAs in colorectal cancer, and potential applications of these altered microRNAs.