In-depth bioinformatic analysis of lung cancer-associated microRNA targets

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. However, few studies of its specific mechanisms useful for diagnosis or treatment exist. microRNAs (miRNAs) present one mechanism through which genes with diverse functions on multiple pathways can be simultaneously regulated at the post-transcriptional level. However, LC-associated pathways targeted by LC-related miRNAs (LC-miRNAs) remain completely unknown. In the present study, we investigated 8 LC-miRNAs previously identified as regulators in three molecular subtypes of LC. The results showed that LC-miRNAs may post-transcriptionally function mainly through manipulating the expression of nucleic acid binding proteins and transcription factors, and target genes for the LC-miRNAs were most prominently predicted to function in regulation of transcription. Our analysis also highlighted the potential of these LC-miRNAs to regulate the cell differentiation, proliferation, endocytosis and migration signaling logically required to cause an LC cell mainly through five canonical pathways (PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, MAPK signaling pathway, HTLV-I infection and focal adhesion). These findings may form a useful basis for potential future development of novel LC therapeutic treatments.