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MicroRNAs in Plasma Cell Neoplasia

Robert S Shibata, MD, and Dinesh S Rao, MD, PhD

In recent years, the importance of non-coding RNA in cellular biology and disease pathogenesis has become apparent. One of the first fields in which microRNAs (miRNAs) were explored was hemato-poietic development and hematolymphoid malignancies. This line of investigation, specifically profiling studies in clinical disease samples followed by experimental investigations in cell-line or mouse models, has been productive in revealing new markers in these diseases. Furthermore, these studies have indentified important new pathways that regulate the biology of hematopoietic cells. Along the same lines, the role of miRNA in plasma cell diseases is being actively explored with some very interesting recent results. Our goal in this article is to provide a clinically oriented review of progress in this field and to relate it to our current understanding of the pathogenesis of plasma cell dyscrasia. Specific applications of these discoveries to clinical problems in myeloma are likely still several years away, and require work to designate diagnostic, prognostic, and, potentially, therapeutic utility in patients with the disease. This article will aim to discuss the biogenesis of miRNA, important miRNAs in B cell ontogeny, and the role of specific miRNAs in plasma cell dyscrasias. A list of published miRNAs associated with plasma cell dyscrasias is found in

  • Table 1
.

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