IBMS BoneKEy | BoneKEy Watch
miRNAs within osteoclasts regulate osteolytic bone metastasis and could be important biomarkers
DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2014.26
One of the key factors in osteolytic bone metastasis is the activation and recruitment of osteoclasts. Here, Ell et al. report an elegant series of experiments showing that a microRNA (miRNA) signature, which regulates osteoclastogenesis during experimental breast cancer bone metastasis formation, might have clinical relevance.
This study demonstrates that highly metastatic breast cancer cells secrete soluble intracellular adhesion molecule (sICAM1), which down-regulates miRNA production in osteoclasts, and in turn suppresses osteoclastogenesis. This greatly enhances osteoclastic bone destruction. A significant correlation was also found between serum sICAM1 level and miR-16 or miR-378 level in patients with bone metastases.
The serum levels of both miR-16 and miR-378 were elevated in about twenty breast cancer patients with bone metastases compared with controls, underscoring the clinical relevance of these miRNAs as biomarkers to identify patients at high risk for bone metastasis. The data also indicate that these miRNAs may have some therapeutic implications for bone metastasis.
Editor's comment: The next very important step in this research will be to define the benefits and potential adverse effects of therapies targeting tumor-induced miRNA molecules and to compare their efficacy with that of current antiresorptive therapies (such as bisphosphonates and denosumab).
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