Chapter 13 - Clinical implications of noncoding RNAs in neuroblastoma patients

Abstract

When Francis Crick first proposed the concept of “Central Dogma” in 1958, the flow of genetic information moves from DNA to RNA to protein; he was unaware that only around 2% of the human genome follows this trend. Until the 1970s, 98% of the genome, which codes for something else, was considered useless or junk. However, with new advancements in characterizing the human genome, it is well understood that the noncoding portion of DNA contains various elements critical for cell maintenance and functions. One of them is noncoding RNAs that do not translate into proteins but regulate gene expression through diverse mechanisms. The noncoding RNAs are transcribed from introns or exons of protein-coding and noncoding transcripts and regulate almost every cellular function. The well-characterized noncoding RNAs include microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, P-element-induced wimpy testis-interacting RNAs, and circular RNAs. The deregulation of these noncoding RNAs has been reported in many malignancies, and many studies emphasize their use for cancer diagnosis and treatment. This chapter focuses on the role of abovementioned four noncoding RNAs in the development of highly heterogeneous, extracranial pediatric tumor neuroblastoma (NB). This chapter will provide an overview of the role of noncoding RNAs in the pathogenesis of NB and their potential use in NB diagnosis and therapeutics.