MicroRNAs and Cellular Senescence in Melanoma: An Underexplored Link to Tumor Progression-A Systematic Review with Bioinformatics Analyses

MicroRNAs are important regulators of melanoma progression; however, their relationship with cellular senescence remains poorly understood. To address this gap, a systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and prospectively registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under registration number CRD420251155760. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Dimensions identified studies evaluating melanoma-associated microRNAs and their effects on cell cycle regulation. Risk of bias was assessed using the SYRCLE tool and an adapted version of ToxRTool, with the included studies classified as having low, moderate, or high risk of bias. Fifteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Most studies reported that microRNA modulation reduced melanoma proliferation through cell cycle arrest; however, only two directly assessed senescence-associated markers. Of the fifteen identified microRNAs, seven had predicted targets and were included in the bioinformatic analysis. Integration of these predictions with genes downregulated in high-risk melanoma and underexpressed during cellular senescence identified 158 shared genes. Subsequent analysis identified predicted targets within this gene set only for hsa-miR-195-5p, and hsa-miR-425-5p, highlighting RNF138, and SYNCRIP as candidate regulatory genes. Collectively, these findings suggest a potential link between microRNA-mediated regulation and senescence-associated pathways during melanoma progression.