miR-140

miR-140 (microRNA-140) is a highly conserved, cartilage-specific microRNA that plays a critical role in cartilage development and homeostasis, and also functions as a tumor suppressor in various cancers, including breast cancer, osteosarcoma, colon cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is encoded within an intron of the WWP2 gene and yields two mature strands, miR-140-5p and miR-140-3p. In cancer, miR-140 is frequently downregulated, and its overexpression (via miR-140 mimics) has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation, induce cell cycle arrest, and suppress metastasis by targeting key oncogenic genes such as HDAC4, CXCL12, Smad2, and IGF1R. Conversely, its downregulation is associated with chemoresistance and tumor progression. Preclinical research, including work at Stony Brook University and Curamir Therapeutics, is exploring the therapeutic potential of miR-140 mimics (including chemically modified versions like 5-FU-modified miR-140) for oncology and osteoarthritis, though no specific miR-140-based drug has yet entered clinical trials.

Other names

hsa-miR-140hsa-miR140hsa-miR 140microRNA-140microRNA140microRNA 140miR-140-3pmiR140-3pmiR 140-3pmiR-140-5pmiR140-5pmiR 140-5ppre-miR-140pre-miR140pre-miR 140