Abstract
Despite great advances in research and treatment, lung cancer is still one of the most leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Evidence is mounting that dynamic communication network in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play an integral role in tumor initiation and development. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which promote tumor growth and metastasis, are the most important stroma component in the tumor microenvironment. Consequently, in-depth identification of relevant molecular mechanisms and biomarkers related to CAFs will increase understanding of tumor development process, which is of great significance for precise treatment of lung cancer. With the development of sequencing technologies such as microarray and next-generation sequencing, lncRNAs without protein-coding ability have been found to act as communicators between tumor cells and CAFs. LncRNAs participate in the activation of normal fibroblasts (NFs) to CAFs. Moreover, activated CAFs can influence the gene expression and secretion characteristics of cells through lncRNAs, enhancing the malignant biological process in tumor cells. In addition, lncRNA-loaded exosomes are considered to be another important form of crosstalk between tumor cells and CAFs. In this review, we focus on the interaction between tumor cells and CAFs mediated by lncRNAs in the lung cancer microenvironment, and discuss the analysis of biological function and molecular mechanism. Furthermore, it contributes to paving a novel direction for the clinical treatment of lung cancer.
Highlights
According to global statistics, lung cancer probably accounts for one-fifth of all cancer deaths and is one of the most deadly malignancies (Bray et al, 2020)
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most dominant cells that synthesize and reshape extracellular matrix (ECM) in the tumor microenvironment, which contribute to increasing the hardness of tumor tissue and increase the ability of local invasion and metastasis
It can be said that TME is the essential “soil” for the breeding of tumor “seeds.” Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as one of the most important and active components in the tumor microenvironment, regulate tumorigenesis and therapeutic response by synthesizing ECM and secreting varieties of soluble factors (Yeh et al, 2015; Sahai et al, 2020)
Summary
Lung cancer probably accounts for one-fifth of all cancer deaths and is one of the most deadly malignancies (Bray et al, 2020). It can be said that TME is the essential “soil” for the breeding of tumor “seeds.” Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as one of the most important and active components in the tumor microenvironment, regulate tumorigenesis and therapeutic response by synthesizing ECM and secreting varieties of soluble factors (Yeh et al, 2015; Sahai et al, 2020). While exosomes released by cancer cells can promote the transformation and activation of CAFs. the study of lncRNAs in TME
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