MicroRNAs Play a Big Role in Regulating Ovarian Cancer–Associated Fibroblasts and the Tumor Microenvironment

Mitra and colleagues analyzed microRNA expression profiles of fibroblasts isolated from ovarian cancer patients, searching for dysregulated microRNAs in the stromal compartment of human cancer. They found that decreased miR-31 and miR-214 and increased miR-155 expression can reprogram normal fibroblasts into tumor-promoting cancer-associated fibroblasts. They identified CCL5, a protumorigenic chemokine that is highly expressed in tumors, as a key target of miR-214, thus showing that microRNA perturbation in the stromal microenvironment can affect tumor growth.