Table 1.
Overview of dysregulated miRNAs involved in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, as determined in different sources.
| Type of MiRNA | Role in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Potential Molecular Targets |
Origin of Material |
References |
|---|---|---|---|
| miR-20a, miR-21, miR-24, miR-25, miR-99a, miR-185, and miR-191 | Panel of different microRNAs determined in serum of PDAC patients indicating cancer presence with AUC above 0.99. | Blood sample/serum | [20], also confirmed in [33,34]. |
| miR-196a/b | miR-196a and -196b can act as potential biomarkers for the early detection of familial pancreatic cancer in serum. | Upregulated in serum | [31] |
| miR-217 | miR-217 has been shown to be a prognostic biomarker for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. | Downregulated in serum, also tumor tissue | [30] |
| miR-21 | Affects microsatellite instability (MSI); significantly associated with poor tumor differentiation [35]. miR-21 overexpression promotes cancer-cell growth, invasion, and migration in vitro; prognostic marker for local invasion and lymph node metastasis. Not specific for a defined GI tumor, also downregulated in gastric or colon cancer [33,34]. | Overexpressed in tumor tissue | [33,34,35]. |
| miR-146a | Pancreatic tumors show miR-146a overexpression. miR-146a dysregulation may promote tumorigenesis and metastasis. | Overexpressed in tumor tissue | [36,37] |
| miR-198 | miR-198 may be highly specific as diagnostic and differentiating biomarker for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. | Downregulated in inflamed pancreatic tissue/tumor tissue | [30] |
| miR-375 | Acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting the JAK2 oncogene. Downregulated in cancer cells, reduces cell viability via the caspase-mediated apoptosis pathway through downregulation of PDK1. | Downregulated in tumor tissue | [38,39,40] |
| miR-409 | Downregulates GAB-1 and antagonizes PD-L1 action, a key molecule in immune checkpoint control. Low expression associated with poor outcomes. | Downregulated in tumor tissue | [41,42] |
| miR-490-3p | miR-490-3p suppresses growth and metastasis in cell lines by targeting SMARCD1. | Downregulated in tumor tissue, tumor suppressor under normal conditions | [43] |
| MicroRNA dysregulation during special clinical conditions | Role during onset of diabetes and hyperinsulinemia (“Sentinel markers”) |
Origin of
Material |
References |
| miR-196 | miR-196b expression levels in pancreatic cancer cells were significantly higher than those of cancer stroma and correlates with the long-term survival. It can activate the AKT signaling pathway, which is involved in the development and treatment of type 2 diabetes | Upregulated in tumor tissue, oncogenic potential | [34] |
| miR-486 | miR-486 is upregulated in tumor tissue of PDAC patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus and promotes the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. | Upregulated in tumor tissue, oncogenic potential | [36] |
| miR-1256 | miR-1256 regulates several genes involved in the cell cycle, such as CDKN2B. The CDKN2B region is pleiotropic, and its genetic variants have been associated with several human diseases, possibly through the interaction between lncRNA and miRNA. | Upregulated in tumor tissue, oncogenic potential | [44,45] |