MicroRNAs and Sarcomas

Call for Papers

Sarcomas are heterogeneous group of tumors that generally affect children and young adolescent adults. Precise diagnosis of sarcoma is a challenge and there is a need for developing novel diagnostic markers. Further, identification and development of novel therapeutic targets will have significant positive impact on these patients' prognosis and outcomes. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated for their potential use in diagnosis and prognosis of tumors. Recent advances in understanding the biology of miRNA biogenesis and function have contributed to a greater extent in deciphering the molecular mechanism(s) of sarcoma development and progression. The scope for miRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of sarcoma is promising. miRNAs posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression and maintains a balance of the gene expression networks in normal cells. However, in cancer cells the expressions of miRNAs are deregulated that leads to imbalances in the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Importantly, many of the deregulated gene regulatory networks are conserved among different cancer types including sarcomas. Hence, understanding the role of miRNAs in other cancer types could significantly advance our understanding of the pathobiology of sarcomas in which similar deregulations are noticed.

This special issue on microRNA and sarcoma is timely and will mark an important milestone in the field of sarcoma pathobiology, diagnosis, and treatment using miRNA-based novel approaches. We welcome both original research articles as well as review articles. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• MicroRNA biogenesis
• Posttranscriptional gene regulation in cancers
• MicroRNAs gene regulatory networks in sarcomas and other cancer types
• OncomiRs
• Novel approaches to detect and quantify microRNAs in tissues, serum, and other body fluids
• Serum/plasma-based microRNA markers in detection of cancers or sarcomas
• MicroRNAs in diagnosis and prognosis of cancers or sarcomas
• MicroRNA-based therapeutics in sarcoma
• Bioinformatics and other statistical tools in decoding patterns of miRNA expression in sarcomas
• Next generation approaches in understanding sarcoma biology

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/srcm/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Subbaya Subramanian, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Guest Editors

• Helge Taubert, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
• Weng-Onn Lui, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden