Roles of microRNAs and RNA-Binding Proteins in the Regulation of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

Junko Mukohyama; Yohei Shimono; Hironobu Minami; Yoshihiro Kakeji; Akira Suzuki

doi:10.3390/cancers9100143

Roles of microRNAs and RNA-Binding Proteins in the Regulation of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

Cancers (Basel). 2017 Oct 24;9(10):143. doi: 10.3390/cancers9100143.

Authors

Junko Mukohyama^{1

2

3}, Yohei Shimono^{4

5}, Hironobu Minami⁶, Yoshihiro Kakeji⁷, Akira Suzuki⁸

Affiliations

¹ Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan. junkom@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
² Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan. junkom@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
³ Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Department of Medicine (Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases) and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. junkom@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
⁴ Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan. yshimono@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
⁵ Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 6500017, Japan. yshimono@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
⁶ Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 6500017, Japan. hminami@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
⁷ Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan. kakeji@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
⁸ Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan. suzuki@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for the initiation, progression and metastasis of human colorectal cancers, and have been characterized by the expression of cell surface markers, such as CD44, CD133, CD166 and LGR5. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are differentially expressed between CSCs and non-tumorigenic cancer cells, and play important roles in the maintenance and regulation of stem cell properties of CSCs. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are emerging epigenetic regulators of various RNA processing events, such as splicing, localization, stabilization and translation, and can regulate various types of stem cells. In this review, we summarize current evidences on the roles of miRNA and RBPs in the regulation of colorectal CSCs. Understanding the epigenetic regulation of human colorectal CSCs will help to develop biomarkers for colorectal cancers and to identify targets for CSC-targeting therapies.

Keywords: RNA binding protein; cancer stem cell; colorectal cancer; microRNA.

Publication types

Review