Functional analysis of micro RNAs overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, ranking third among all cancer-related mortalities. Recent studies have shown that hundreds of microRNAs (miRNAs) were deregulated in human HCC, however their biological functions during hepatocarcinogenesis are incompletely understood. In our recent study, we found miR-221, -181b-1, -155-5p, -25, and -17-5p were upregulated in HCCs from patients and a murine transgenic model. Using human HCC cell lines stably expressing respective miRNAs, we tested pro-tumorigenic roles of the overexpressed miRNAs in HCC. Although their functions in the development of HCC are unknown, some miRNAs can be potentially used as a diagnostic or prognostic serum marker for HCC. In our recent study, we identified several miRNAs that were specifically upregulated in patient sera with an early and/or advanced HCC.