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MicroRNA-34a, one of the most documented tumor suppressor microRNAs, is being evaluated as a potential therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a study being presented at the 2017 International Liver Congress.
Results from a study of microRNA-34a and natural killer (NK) cells suggest that microRNA-34a could have a role in regulating cytotoxicity and development of the effector NK cells and their target cells.
Lead author Amira Abdelhamid, assistant lecturer, German University in Cairo, says that although microRNA-34a has been previously determined to be downregulated in HCC, it has never been explored in the NK cells of patients with HCC. The aim of the study, she says, was to assess the impact of microRNA-34a in NKs on the NKG2D receptor and its ligand ULBP2, in addition to NK cell cytotoxicity and development.
Researchers observed overexpression of microRNA-34a (P = .0317) and NKG2D (P = .0374) in the NKs of the patients with HCC. The results show that forcing NKs to express microRNA-34a significantly increased NKG2D (P = .0474) and cytotoxic perforin-1 mRNA levels (P = .0444).
Read more…http://www.onclive.com/conference-coverage/liver-2017/microrna34a-as-a-therapeutic-target-in-hcc