MicroRNA Regulation of Cell-State Plasticity and Therapeutic Resistance in Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Aggressive prostate cancer progresses not only through genetic and epigenetic alteration, but also through dynamic changes in cell state under therapeutic pressure. Lineage plasticity, dedifferentiation, acquisition of stem-like features, and escape from androgen receptor dependence are increasingly recognized as major drivers of metastatic progression, intratumoral heterogeneity, and treatment failure, particularly in castration-resistant disease. MicroRNAs are key post-transcriptional regulators within this landscape, with the capacity to influence lineage fidelity, self-renewal, survival signaling, therapy response, and phenotypic adaptation.This Research Topic will explore how microRNA networks regulate cell-state plasticity and therapeutic resistance in aggressive prostate cancer, with particular interest in stem-like, AR-low, and AR-independent disease states. We welcome contributions spanning mechanistic, preclinical, and translational studies that define how microRNA dysregulation contributes to tumor evolution, lineage switching, resistance, and disease propagation, as well as studies evaluating microRNA-based therapeutic strategies, targeted delivery platforms, biomarkers, and rational combination approaches. The goal is to bring together work that links prostate cancer cell-state biology with new therapeutic opportunities for heterogeneous and treatment-refractory disease.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:microRNA regulation of prostate cancer stem cells and tumor-initiating capacitylineage plasticity, dedifferentiation, and cell-state transitions in advanced and castration-resistant prostate cancermechanisms underlying escape from androgen receptor dependenceAR-low and AR-independent prostate cancer statesdownstream signaling pathways controlled by tumor-suppressive or oncogenic microRNAsmicroRNA-based therapeutic strategies and targeted delivery approachesorganoid, xenograft, and other preclinical models of aggressive and heterogeneous prostate cancerbiomarkers associated with cell-state change, treatment response, and disease progressionrational combination strategies designed to overcome resistance in aggressive prostate cancer Topic editors: Wen (Jess) Li, Starling Emerald Bright Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86446/microrna-regulation-of-cell-state-plasticity-and-therapeutic-resistance-in-aggressive-prostate-cancer