Table 2.
miRNA clusters and their targets involved in CRC development.
| miRNA/Cluster | Key Targets | Pathways Affected | Role in CRC | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| miR-145 | OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, EGFR, RASA1, MEKK, RREB1 | Wnt, Ras-MAPK, Pluripotency factors | Tumor suppressor, downregulated in early CRC, promotes cell differentiation | [[255], [256], [257]] |
| miR-143 | KRAS, ERK1/2, ELK1, MDM2, HKII, DNMT3A | Ras-MAPK, Cell cycle, Metabolism | Tumor suppressor, modulates KRAS pathway, downregulated early in CRC | [257][88,101,104] |
| miR-23b/27b/24 Cluster | FOXP2, ARFGEF1, PDE7A | Cell migration, c-Src circuit, Immune response | Tumor suppressor, downregulation affects cell migration, immune response modulation | [[261], [262], [263]] |
| miR-10 Family (miR-10a/b, miR-99a/b, miR-100, miR-125a/b) | RAP1B, p53, PUMA, BAK1, Cyclin C | Apoptosis, Cell cycle, Invasion | Tumor suppressor, regulates apoptosis and cell growth, downregulation in CRC | [265,266] |
| miR-let-7 | - | Proliferation, Differentiation | Tumor suppressor, let-7 regulates differentiation, suppressed by LIN28 A/B | [268] |
| miR-34 Family (miR-34a/b/c) | MDM4, β-catenin, Numb | p53, Wnt, DNA damage response | Tumor suppressor, regulates cell cycle and apoptosis, loss of miR-34 linked to p53 deficiency | [269,271,272] |
| miR-17–92 Cluster (miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a/b, miR-20a, miR-92a) | NEDD9, CDK19, PTEN, Cyclin D1 | PI3K/AKT/mTOR, JAK/STAT, Cell proliferation, Apoptosis | Oncogenic, promotes proliferation, inhibits apoptosis, miR-18a tumor-suppressive, others oncogenic | [281,282,285,286] |
| miR-92a | DKK3, KLF4, GSK3β, BCL-2, BIM | Wnt/β-catenin, Apoptosis | Oncogenic, overexpression leads to poor prognosis, targets tumor suppressor genes | [291,293,294] |
| miR-135a/b | APC, SFRP4, ZNRF3 | Wnt, PTEN/PI3K | Oncogenic, suppresses APC and activates Wnt signaling | [299,301,302] |
| miR-522 | TP53, DACH1 | Wnt/β-catenin | Oncogenic, stimulated by c-Myc, regulates Wnt pathway via TP53 targeting | [303,304] |
| miR-590-3p | WIF1, DKK1 | Wnt | Inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling by targeting WIF1 and DKK1 | [305] |
| miR-425-5p | CTNND1 (catenin δ-1) | β-catenin pathway | Promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis | [306] |
| miR-29 Family (miR-29a/b/c) | BCL9L, GNA13, PTP4A | Wnt/β-catenin | Regulates β-catenin co-activators | [307,308] |
| miR-93 | SMAD7 | Wnt/β-catenin | Inhibits SMAD7 and promotes β-catenin accumulation | [309] |
| miR-21 | PDCD4, TPM1, PTEN | NF-κB, Inflammation, ECM formation | Oncogenic, promotes tumorigenesis by inducing inflammation, upregulated in CRC exosomes | [[311], [312], [313]] |