 (http://healthandmedications.wordpress.com) |
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Lack of early detection and the limited options for targeted therapies contribute to the dismal statistics observed in lung cancer. MicroRNAs (miRs or miRNAs) represent a class of non-coding RNAs which play a role in gene regulation and may serve as a biomarkers in lung cancer. Based on the observation that microRNAs let-7 and miR-9 are deregulated in lung cancers, we construct a mathematical model that integrates let-7 and miR-9 expression into a signaling pathway to generate an in silico model for the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition. We have proposed a mathematical model that integrates the miRNAs let-7 and miR-9 into the process of EMT. Using the model, we showed EGFR mutation (or Ras mutation) upregulates the level of miR-9 and downregulates the level of let-7. Moreover, we investigated how random perturbations of miR-9 and let-7 affect MMP and concluded that MMP is more robust against let-7 perturbations than against miR-9 perturbations. |