MiRNAs and E2F3: a complex network of reciprocal regulations in human cancers.

// Yanping Gao 1,* , Bing Feng 1,* , Lu Lu 1 , Siqi Han 1 , Xiaoyuan Chu 1 , Longbang Chen 1 and Rui Wang 1 1 Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Rui Wang, email: // Keywords : microRNA, E2F3, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis Received : December 27, 2016 Accepted : April 03, 2017 Published : April 21, 2017 Abstract E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) is oncogenic in tumorigenesis. Alterations in E2F3 functions correspond with poor prognosis in various cancers, underscoring their status for the clinical cancer phenotype. Latest reports discovered intricate networks between microRNAs (miRNAs) and E2F3 in regulating the balance of these events, including proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, as well as drug resistance. miRNAs are non-coding small RNAs which negatively regulate gene expressions post-transcriptionally mainly through 3’-UTR binding of target mRNAs. Increasing evidence shows that E2F3 can be activated/inhibited by numerous miRNAs whose dysregulation has been implicated in malignancy. In turn, miRNAs themselves can be transcriptionally regulated by E2F3, thus forming a negative feedback loop. These findings add a new challenging layer of complexity to E2F3 network. Current understanding of the reciprocal link between E2F3 and miRNAs in human cancers were summarized, which could help to develop potential therapeutic strategies.