Abstract ES3-3: Progress, paradigms, and pathways of long non-coding RNAs in cancer

Abstract

Abstract Despite recent advances in cancer research, many cancer types continue to be deficient of FDA-approved targeted therapies and also have poor prognoses. One of the fundamental challenges in developing targeted therapies against cancer lies in the absence of characterized molecular mechanisms that underlie tumor initiation and progression. These setbacks demand improved identification of biomarkers for human cancer, among which long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) show promise. It has become increasingly apparent that lncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in a broad spectrum of cancers and that they play key roles in promoting and maintaining cancer characteristics, demonstrating their clinical potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this review, we focus on the recent discoveries of lncRNAs in cancer signaling pathways as key signal transduction mediators. We review the functional roles of lncRNAs as protein, RNA and lipid binding partners in regulating cellular responses to extracellular signals and discuss their clinical potential as diagnostic indicators, stratification markers, and therapeutic targets of combinatorial treatments. Specifically, the following topics will be discussed: 1) Somatic mutations or disease-associated SNPs of lncRNAs implicate lncRNAs as cancer risk genes; 2) Through RNA-protein, RNA-RNA, RNA-lipid interactions, lncRNAs modulate cancer signaling pathways and consequences; 3) Dysregulation of lncRNAs lead to hyper- or hypo-activation of cellular pathways, leading to resistance to current targeted therapies; 4) Targeting lncRNA alone or a co-targeting strategy may help overcome the targeted therapy resistance. Citation Format: Yang L. Progress, paradigms, and pathways of long non-coding RNAs in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr ES3-3.