Tumor-stromal cell interaction and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by secreted-microRNA

已有研究表明，除了癌细胞的遗传异常外，肿瘤组织中的微环境在肿瘤的发生发展中也起着重要的作用。此外，人们普遍认为癌细胞的上皮-间充质转化有助于肿瘤的侵袭和转移。另一方面，研究表明，microRNA可以调控数百个基因，影响癌细胞的生物学特性。近年来，通过小泡释放到细胞外间隙的分泌型microRNA被证实稳定存在，其生物学意义引起了众多研究人员的关注。在本研究中，我们对肿瘤间质组织中的microRNA表达进行了全面系统的分析，旨在阐明分泌型microRNA在肿瘤-间质细胞相互作用和上皮-间充质转化中的作用。

It has been reported that micro-environment in cancer tissue plays important roles in cancer development in addition to genetic abnormalities in cancer cell. Moreover, it is generally accepted that epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cancer cell contributes to tumor invasion and metastasis. On the other hands, it is revealed that microRNA can regulate hundreds of genes and affect biological characteristics of cancer cell. In recent year, it was confirmed that secreted-microRNA which is released through small vesicle into extra-cellular space is stably present, and many researchers focused on its biological significance. In this present study, we perform comprehensive and systematic microRNA expression analysis in cancer stromal tissue and aim to elucidate the role of secreted-microRNA in tumor-stromal cell interaction and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.