Role of microRNA in EVI1 Expressing Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Wadaskar Ashwin1, Roy Swagata2 1Research Scholar, Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India 2Assistant Professor, Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India Online published on 29 December, 2017. Abstract Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a blood disorder which can be identified by the accumulation of somatic gene mutations. AML is characterized by formation of immature myeloid blasts in bone marrow and blood. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are 18–22 nucleotides, non-coding RNAs that play an important role in normal hematopoiesis. Aberrant expression of miRNA has been observed in leukemia and other diseases. One of the genes associated with AML is EVI1 (Ecotropic Viral Integration Site-1). Over expression of EVI1 is an indication of leukemic disease prognosis and EVI1 associated AML has been deemed as poor prognosis. Ectopic expression of EVI1 in AML regulates the expression of miRNAs, which eventually alters the functional properties of leukemic cells. In this review, we will discuss the role and importance of miRNA in cancers especially in leukemia. We also discuss the role of oncogene EVI1 in leukemia and its expression affecting the miRNA status of leukemic cells. In this review, we suggest that miRNA can be used as tools for cancer therapy and diagnosis. MiRNAs have been used in classifying cancers which has eased the efforts of medical practitioners to develop a strategy for cancer treatment. However, further insights in miRNA's cellular function would provide us with more options in treating cancer. Top Keywords Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), MicroRNA (miRNA), Ecotropoic Viral Integration Site-1. Top |