MicroRNAs in cancer: Glioblastoma and glioblastoma cancer stem cells

•MicroRNAs are 18-25 nucleotide small non-coding RNA molecules that post-transcriptionally modify gene expression in normal and cancer cells.•MicroRNAs have been identified that modulate tumorigenicity in the aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme and its cancer stem cells.•Further work to functionally classify and characterize brain tumor microRNAs identified through genome-wide screens is needed.•MicroRNAs hold clinical potential as biomarkers and novel therapeutics

MicroRNAs represent an abundant class of endogenously expressed 18–25 nucleotide non-coding RNA molecules that function to silence gene expression through a process of post-transcriptional modification. They exhibit varied and widespread functions during normal development and tissue homeostasis, and accordingly their dysregulation plays major roles in many cancer types. Gliomas are cancers arising from the central nervous system. The most malignant and common glioma is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and even with aggressive treatment (surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation), average patient survival remains less than 2 years. In this review we will summarize the current findings regarding microRNAs in GBM and the biological and clinical implications of this data.