Abstract
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) comprise a diverse class of non-protein coding transcripts that regulate critical cellular processes associated with cancer. Advances in RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) have led to the characterization of non-coding RNA expression across different types of human cancers. Through comprehensive RNA-Seq profiling, a growing number of studies demonstrate that ncRNAs, including long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNA), play central roles in progenitor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) pathogenesis. Furthermore, due to their central roles in cellular homeostasis and their potential as biomarkers, the study of ncRNAs continues to provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of B-ALL. This article reviews the ncRNA signatures reported for all B-ALL subtypes, focusing on technological developments in transcriptome profiling and recently discovered examples of ncRNAs with biologic and therapeutic relevance in B-ALL.
Highlights
Leukemia is a cancer of developing blood cells that can occur at any age, and is the most common cancer in children, accounting for nearly one-third of all pediatric cancers [1].The most common type of pediatric leukemia is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
Despite there being only a small fraction of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) genes described in the literature, current evidence indicates that lncRNAs play diverse biological roles
Termed “B lymphoblastic ALL (B-ALL)–associated long RNAs” or BALR, this study identified the differentially expressed lncRNAs BALR-1, BALR-2, BALR-6, and LINC00958
Summary
Leukemia is a cancer of developing blood cells that can occur at any age, and is the most common cancer in children, accounting for nearly one-third of all pediatric cancers [1]. As a result of improvements in the treatment of ALL, including the development of targeted therapies, the five-year survival rate for children with standard risk ALL is 93% [2,3,4]. B lymphoblastic ALL (B-ALL) is the most common form of pediatric cancer, accounting for nearly 80% of pediatric ALL [7]. The reciprocal translocation t(12;21)(p13;q22) generating the fusion gene ETV6/RUNX1 ( known as TEL/AML1) is common, accounting for nearly 25% of pediatric B-ALL cases [8]. This review describes ncRNAs and their functions, focusing on technological developments in transcriptome profiling and recently discovered examples of ncRNAs in B-ALL with biologic and therapeutic relevance
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