miR-490: A potential biomarker and therapeutic target in cancer and other diseases

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that function as posttranscriptional gene regulators. Among a pool of >2600 known human mature miRNAs, only a small subset have been functionally interrogated and a further smaller pool shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases suggesting their critical role in maintaining homeostasis. Here, we draw your attention to one such miRNA, miR-490, that has been reported to be deregulated in a myriad of diseases (23 diseases) ranging from cardiomyopathy, depression, and developmental disorders to many cancer types (28 cancer types), such as hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, cancers of the reproductive and central nervous system among others. The prognostic and diagnostic potential of miR-490 has been reported in many diseases including cancer underlining its clinical relevance. We also collate a complex plethora of epigenetic (histone and DNA methylation), transcriptional (TF), and posttranscriptional (lncRNA and circRNA) mechanisms that have been shown to tightly regulate miR-490 levels. The targets of miR-490 involve a range of cancer-related genes involved in the regulation of various cancer hallmarks like cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, apoptotic cell death, angiogenesis, and so forth. Overall, our in-depth review highlights for the first time the emerging role of miR-490 in disease pathology, diagnosis, and prognosis that assigns a unique therapeutic potential to miR-490 in the era of precision medicine.