The microRNA pathway and cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ∼22nt long, non-coding RNAs that guide post-transcriptional gene silencing of their target genes and regulate diverse biological processes including cancer. miRNAs do not act alone, but require assembly into RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). In this review, we summarize how miRNAs are produced, assembled into RISC, and regulate target mRNAs, and discuss how the miRNA pathway is involved in cancer.