In molecular biology mir-145 microRNA is a short RNA

Non-coding RNA

A non-coding RNA is a functional RNA molecule that is not translated into a protein. Less-frequently used synonyms are non-protein-coding RNA , non-messenger RNA and functional RNA . The term small RNA is often used for short bacterial ncRNAs...

 molecule. MicroRNAs function to regulate the expression levels of other genes by a several mechanisms.

Targets

MicroRNAs are involved in down regulation of a variety of target genes. Götte et al. have shown that experimental overexpression of mir-145 down regulates the junctional cell adhesion molecule JAMA

Jama

Jama or JAMA may refer to:* Jama Software, a privately held company in Portland, Oregon* Journal of the American Medical Association, an international peer-reviewed general medical journal...

 as well as the actin bundling protein fascin. Zhang et al. showed that miR-145 targets the 3' UTR of the FLI1

FLI1

Friend leukemia integration 1 transcription factor , also known as proto-oncogene Fli-1 or transcription factor ERGB, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the human FLI1 gene. - Function :...

 gene.

Role in cancer

miR-145 is hypothesised to be a tumor suppressor. miR-145 has been shown to be down regulated in breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

. miR-145 is also involved in colon cancer.