MicroRNAs (miRNAs)是一类非编码调节基因表达的RNA分子,其通过与靶基因完全或不完全互补结合,降解靶基因或抑制靶基因的翻译,实现对靶基因表达的调节.MiRNAs与肿瘤发生、发展、转移等关系密切,常在肿瘤组织中异常表达,是一种新型的肿瘤标志物.对肿瘤组织异常表达的miRNAs进行显像,有利于对肿瘤进行早期诊断、预后评估及疗效监测等.光学显像、核素显像及多模态显像均已成功用于miRNAs的检测,使得以miRNAs为靶点的分子影像有望为肿瘤的诊断和治疗提供新的方法.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeting mRNAs for either cleavage or translational repression.Accumulated studies show that miRNAs aberrantly expressed in tumors are closely related with tumorogenesis and could be potential tumor biomarkers.It will be helpful in the diagnosis,prognosis and(or) predicting treatment response of tumor by imaging miRNAs expression.Several molecular imaging methods,including the optical imaging,radionuclide imaging and multimodality imaging,have been successfully used to visualize miRNAs,miRNAs,a new molecular imaging target,may explore a new field for tumor diagnosis and therapy.