7/23/2010 PERMALINK
Reduced levels of microRNA-138 may cause 90% of oral cancers. MicroRNAs are small, noncoding RNA molecules that control the expression of a target gene after the intermediary message for the gene has been transcribed into RNA. Several microRNAs are believed to stimulate the spread of various types of cancer. A new study demonstrates that a reduced level of microRNA-138 is associated with enhanced ability of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells to spread. Xiaofeng "Charles" Zhou, assistant professor in the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases lead this reasearch.