miRNAs modulate the drug response of tumor cells

Chemotherapy is one of the major treatments of malignant carcinomas. However, its efficiency is affected by both intrinsic and acquired resistance to anticancer drugs. The cellular mechanisms of drug resistance include the overexpression of energy-dependent transporters that eject anticancer drugs from cells such as p-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance related protein (MRP), the mutation of drug targets, the activation of DNA repair pathways, the defects in cellular death pathways and so on. The genetic and epigenetic changes of these genes can lead to cancer drug resistance. Among these mechanisms, microRNAs (miRNAs) which are critical and essential for many important processes such as development, differentiation, and even carcinogenesis have been reported to regulate the chemo-sensitivity of tumor cells. In this paper we briefly review the relationship between miRNA and cancer drug resistance.