abstract
Canine mammary tumors (CMTs) represent a significant health concern in dogs, with a high incidence among intact female dogs. CMTs are a promising comparative model for human breast cancer, due to sharing several pathophysiological features. Additionally, CMTs have a strong genetic correlation with their human counterpart, including the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that play important roles in post-translational regulation of gene expression, being implicated in carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis. Moreover, miRNAs hold promise as diagnostic, prognostic, and metastatic biomarkers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying CMTs is crucial for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of treatments. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on miRNAs in CMTs, highlighting their roles in carcinogenesis and their potential as biomarkers. Additionally, we highlight the current limitations and critically discuss the overarching challenges in this field, emphasizing the need for future research to translate miRNA findings into veterinary clinical practice.
keywords
ESTROGEN-RECEPTOR-ALPHA; HUMAN BREAST-CANCER; THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES; SUPPRESSOR GENES; CELL-LINE; EXPRESSION; MIRNA; TARGETS; GROWTH; CARCINOMAS
subject category
Geriatrics & Gerontology
authors
Ferreira, T; da Costa, RMG; Dias, F; Gama, A; Gaspar, VM; Mano, JF; Oliveira, PA; Medeiros, R
our authors
João Mano
Full professor
Vítor Gaspar
Assistant ProfessorProjects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)
acknowledgements
Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This work was supported by National Funds from FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the projects UIDB/04033/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04033/2020), LA/P/0126/2020, UIDB/00772/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00772/2020) , LA/P/0059/2020, and through a Doctoral Grant (2020.04789.BD, Tiago Ferreira). FD has a junior researcher contract funded by UIDP/00776/2020-4B. This work was also developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 & LA/P/0006/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC (PIDDAC).