RESULTS

MicroRNAs induce epigenetic reprogramming and suppress malignant phenotypes of human colon cancer cells  (PLOS ONE, 2015)

In collaboration with the Department of Surgery, Osaka University (Profs. Masaki Mori and Yuichiro Doki), Ogawa et al. showed the data that  cancer reprogramming may be a useful treatment for chemo- or radiotherapy-resistant cancer cells. The introduction of microRNA (miR) resulted in epigenetic reprogramming of DNA demethylation and histone modification events. In vivo administration of the ribonucleotides in mice elicited the induction of cancer cell apoptosis. The present study shows that the introduction of miRs could induce cellular reprogramming and modulate malignant phenotypes of human colorectal cancer, suggesting that the appropriate delivery of functional small-sized ribonucleotides may open a new avenue for therapy against human malignant tumors.