MicroRNA-221 targets Bmf in hepatocellular carcinoma and correlates with tumor multifocality

MicroRNA are emerging as important regulators of gene expression and their deregulation has been extensively reported in human malignancies. A restricted number of microRNAs was found upregulated in several different human cancers. Among these “oncomiRs”, miR-221 was reported to be up-regulared in glioblastoma, urinary bladder cancer, papillary tumours of the thyroid, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and prostate carcinoma. Advances in the knowledge of microRNA potentiality in cancer treatment have led to the development of Antagomirs and LNA-modified anti-miRNAs, chemically-stabilized oligonucleotides able to inhibit microRNA functions. Beside p27 and p57, here we report Bmf as a target of miR-221, outlining the role of this microRNA in the control of both proliferation and apoptosis and contributing to characterize its role in liver cancerogenesis. Moreover, miR-221 over-expression was found to be associated with a more aggressive HCC phenotype, confirming miR-221 as a possible target for non-conventional molecular-targeted treatment against HCC.