Deciphering splenic marginal zone lymphoma pathogenesis: The proposed role of microRNA

// Jacob E. Robinson 1 and Christine E. Cutucache 1 1 Deptartment of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA Correspondence to: Christine E. Cutucache, email: ccutucache@unomaha.edu Keywords: splenic marginal zone lymphoma; microRNA; CAV1; caveolin-1; 7q Received: December 22, 2017      Accepted: May 09, 2018      Published: July 06, 2018 ABSTRACT Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a malignancy of mature B-cells that primarily involves the spleen, but can affect peripheral organs as well. Even though SMZL is overall considered an indolent malignancy, the majority of cases will eventually progress to be more aggressive. In recent years, the gene expression profile of SMZL has been characterized in an effort to identify: 1) the etiology of SMZL, 2) biological consequences of SMZL, and 3) putative therapeutic targets. However, due to the vast heterogeneity of the malignancy, no conclusive target(s) have been deciphered. However, the role of miRNA in SMZL, much as it has in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, may serve as a guiding light. As a result, we review the comprehensive expression profiling in SMZL to-date, as well as describe the miRNA (and potential mechanistic roles) that may play a role in SMZL transformation, particularly within the 7q region.