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Characterization of the Role of MicroRNAs in Hepatic Cancer Stem Cells

Depeng Daia and Li-sheng Zhang

Liver cancer is one of the most malignant tumors and is prone to relapse, metastasis and drug resistance. These phenomena can be explained by the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs have a strong ability to proliferate, are highly carcinogenic, exhibit multi-directional differentiation, develop drug resistance, and play critical roles in tumor radiotherapy, chemotherapy and tumor recurrence. miRNAs exert effects on oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. There are distinctive miRNA expression profiles in different types of tumors, and these profiles are closely related to tumorigenesis, differentiation, metastasis and prognosis. Studies have shown that miRNAs are abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and have important regulatory effects on the self-renewal and differentiation of hepatic cancer stem cells (HCSCs) as well as on the initiation of tumorigenesis. Therefore, it is critical to understand the impact of miRNAs in HCSC and the associated molecular mechanisms to develop new methods for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer.