Scientists have found that a small slice of RNA can inhibit prostate cancer by suppressing a surface protein commonly found on prostate cancer stem cells. MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, are short, single-stranded bits of RNA that regulate the messenger RNA expressed by genes to create a protein. Cancer stem cells can renew themselves and are more likely to create tumors. They're also more resistant to treatment than other types of cancer cells. "Our findings are the first to profile a microRNA expression pattern in prostate cancer stem cells and also establish a strong rationale for developing the microRNA miR-34a as a new treatment option for prostate cancer," says senior author Dean Tang, professor in the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Molecular Carcinogenesis. UT release