Regulatory mechanism of microRNA and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in tumorigenesis and metastasis

microRNA (miR) and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway are two major modules in the field of tumor research. The dysregulation of miR expression and Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation are closely related to the tumorigenesis, metastasis and drug resistance. On one hand, miR activates or inhibits classical Wnt signaling pathway through various pathways. On the other hand, Wnt binds to its promoter to activate transcription, which in turn promotes miR expression in tumors. In this review, we describe the relationship between miR and classical Wnt signaling pathway and the regulatory mechanism by which they affect tumor cell proliferation, migration, metastasis and drug reaction in a variety of tumors. This will provide more comprehensive understanding for the mechanistic studies of miR and Wnt signaling in tumor pathology, and bring new insights into tumor diagnosis, molecular typing, drug screening, and prognostic judgment.