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Abstract
The development and application of whole genome sequencing technology has greatly broadened our horizons on the capabilities of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). LncRNAs are more than 200 nucleotides in length and lack protein-coding potential. Increasing evidence indicates that lncRNAs exert an irreplaceable role in tumor initiation, progression, as well as metastasis, and are novel molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer patients. Furthermore, lncRNAs and the pathways they influence might represent promising therapeutic targets for a number of tumors. Here, we discuss the recent advances in understanding of the specific regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs. We focused on the signal, decoy, guide, and scaffold functions of lncRNAs at the epigenetic, transcription, and post-transcription levels in cancer cells. Additionally, we summarize the research strategies used to investigate the roles of lncRNAs in tumors, including lncRNAs screening, lncRNAs characteristic analyses, functional studies, and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs. This review will provide a short but comprehensive description of the lncRNA functions in tumor development and progression, thus accelerating the clinical implementation of lncRNAs as tumor biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Highlights
Cancer is a complex disease associated with multiple genetic mutations
Given the increasing pool of evidence regarding the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor development and progression, here we summarized the four main models of action through which lncRNAs influence tumor progression
The lncRNAs in the nucleus are often involved in chromatin remodeling and modification, transcriptional regulation, and alternative splicing of pre-mRNA, while the lncRNAs in the cytoplasm are often involved in the stability of mRNAs, protein translation, and the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network [102]
Summary
Cancer is a complex disease associated with multiple genetic mutations. Over the past few decades, oncogenes such as Src and Ras have been discovered, and the functions of their encoded proteins have been elucidated. Previous studies showed that lncRNAs are involved in the regulation of cell survival, growth [6,7,8,9,10], invasion, and metastasis [11], maintenance of stemness [12, 13], as well as tumor angiogenesis [14] These studies highlight the essential role of lncRNAs in cancer development and progression, as well as their potential as novel therapeutic targets for multiple tumors. Numerous lncRNAs are abnormally expressed in specific cancer types [22] and participate in a variety of complex biological processes by interacting with proteins, DNA, as well as RNAs [23,24,25,26]. The current review will provide a comprehensive description of the lncRNA functions and novel insights into their underlying molecular mechanisms
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