MicroRNAs target the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), during which cancer cells lose the epithelial phenotype and gain the mesenchymal phenotype, has been verified to result in tumor migration and invasion. Numerous studies have shown that dysregulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway gives rise to EMT, which is characterized by nuclear translocation of beta-catenin and E-cadherin suppression. Wnt/beta-catenin signaling was confirmed to be affected by microRNAs (miRNAs), several of which are down- or upregulated in metastatic cancer cells, indicating their complex roles in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. In this review, we demonstrated the targets of various miRNAs in altering Wnt/beta-catenin signaling to promote or inhibit EMT, which may elucidate the underlying mechanism of EMT regulation by miRNAs and provide evidence for potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of invasive tumors.