Regulatory Genetic Networks by microRNAs: Exploring Genomic Signatures in Cervical Cancer

With an incidence of over a half million cases every year, cervical cancer remains a major health problem for women worldwide. Epidemiologic and molecular studies have clearly confirmed a causal role of persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus in cervical carcinogenesis, affecting several cellular processes. During cervical cancer development, there is genetic instability including disrupted expression of microRNAs and host target genes, which may have multiple implications. Different studies have explored the gene expression profile in cervical cancer using high-throughput technologies, with the goal of identifying microRNA and/or gene molecular signatures from genomics analysis of cervical cancer. However, the results of some studies have been divergent, which may be due to differences in sample collection procedures, high-throughput platforms, data normalization, and filtering methods used in different protocols. Hence, it is imperative to integrate information about diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers from a variety of sources to characterize the molecular mechanisms of regulatory genetic networks in cervical cancer development and progression. In the present review, we analyze the evidence that describes the role of microRNA signatures and target genes in cervical carcinogenesis and cancer progression. The data reviewed support the existence of universal regulatory genetic networks, which operate in cervical pre-cancerous and cancer cells and may represent the main driving forces in this malignancy. This analysis will allow molecular genomic signatures to be put forward as therapeutic targets for cervical cancer, with potential applications in precision medicine.