Table 1 Identity and function of cancer-associated miRNAs

miR-17 ~ 92 Family

Lymphoma and some solid tumors [36]

PTEN [37, 38], Bim [7, 37], p21 [40, 41], TSP1 [42], CTGF [42]

Resisting cell death

Sustaining proliferative signaling, and inducing angiogenesis

miR-21

Glioblastoma [44], breast, colon, lung, pancreas, prostate, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, acute myeloid leukaemia and others [45, 46]

PTEN, p63, PDCD4, and RECK [46]

Sustaining proliferative signaling, resisting cell death, activating invasion and metastasis

miR-155

Lymphoma [50, 51], breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, and thyroid cancer [52]

RhoA [53], SOCS1 [54], FOXO3a [55]

Sustaining proliferative signaling, resisting cell death, activating invasion and metastasis

Tumor suppressor miRs

miR-15a ~ 16-1

CLL [56], multiple myeloma, mantle cell lymphoma, and prostate cancers [57]

Bcl2, cyclin D1, and WNT3A [59]

Evading growth suppressors, Resisting cell death

let-7

Lung [61], colon, breast, and ovarian cancers [62]

Ras [66], HMGA2 [67], c-Myc [65]

Evading growth suppressors

miR-29 Family

Lung cancer, melanoma and myeloid leukemia [75]

CDK6 [70, 71], Ppmid [68], osteonectin [72], Mcl1 [73], Bcl2 [74], DNMT3a [75], and extracellular matrix genes [76].

Sustaining proliferative signaling, Enabling replicative immortality, Resisting cell death

miR-34

Breast, lung, colon, kidney, bladder, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma [84]

Bcl2, cyclin D1, Cyclin E2, CDK4, CDK6, c-Myc , MET, N-Myc, and SIRT1 [78–83]

Resisting cell death, Evading tumor suppressors, Enabling replicative immortality.

metastamiRs

miR-200 Family

Breast cancer [91, 92]

Zeb1, Zeb2 [93], and Sec23a [95]

Activating invasion metastasis

miR-9

Breast [96] and colon [98] cancer

E-cadherin [96], LIFR, Cyclin D1, and Ets1 [97, 98]

Activating invasion metastasis

miR-31

Breast cancer [99]

ITGA5, RDX, RhoA and WAVE3 [100, 101]

Activating invasion metastasis

miR-10b

Breast [102, 103] and esophageal cancer [104]

HOXD10 [102]

Activating invasion metastasis

miR-181a

Breast cancer [108]

Bim [108], ATM [109]

Activating invasion metastasis