Role of Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs in Cancers with an Overview of MicroRNA Binding

Updated review on analysis of long non-coding RNAs as emerging diagnostic and therapeutic targets in prostate cancers

Despite advancements, prostate cancers (PCa) pose a significant global health challenge due to delayed diagnosis and therapeutic resistance. This review delves into the complex landscape of prostate cancer, with a focus on long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Also explores the influence of aberrant lncRNAs expression in progressive PCa stages, impacting traits like proliferation, invasion, metastasis and therapeutic resistance. The study elucidates how lncRNAs modulate crucial molecular effectors, including transcription factors and microRNAs, affecting signaling pathways such as androgen receptor signaling. Besides, this manuscript sheds light on novel concepts and mechanisms driving PCa progression through lncRNAs, providing a critical analysis of their impact on the disease's diverse characteristics. Besides, it discusses the potential of lncRNAs as diagnostics and therapeutic targets in PCa. Collectively, this work highlights state of art mechanistic comprehension and rigorous scientific approaches to advance our understanding of PCa and depict innovations in this evolving field of research.

MicroRNA-21's role in PTEN suppression and PI3K/AKT activation: Implications for cancer biology

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) was recognized as a key figure in the intricate web of tumor biology, with a prominent role in regulating the PTEN tumor suppressor gene and the PI3K/AKT cascade. This review elucidates the multifaceted interactions between miR-21, PTEN, and the PI3K/AKT signaling, shedding light on their profound implications in cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic strategies. The core of this review delves into the mechanical intricacies of miR-21-mediated PTEN suppression and its consequent impact on PI3K/AKT pathway activation. It explores how miR-21, as an oncogenic miRNA, targets PTEN directly or indirectly, resulting in uncontrolled activation of PI3K/AKT, fostering cancerous cell survival, proliferation, and evasion of apoptosis. Furthermore, the abstract emphasizes the clinical relevance of these molecular interactions, discussing their implications in various cancer types, prognostic significance, and potential as therapeutic targets. The review provides insights into ongoing research efforts to develop miR-21 inhibitors and strategies to restore PTEN function, offering new avenues for cancer treatment. This article illuminates the critical function of miR-21 in PTEN suppression and PI3K/AKT activation, offering profound insights into its implications for cancer biology and the potential for targeted interventions.

The Diagnostic and Therapeutic Role of snoRNA and lincRNA in Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract and can be divided into non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Although the means of diagnosis and treatment have continually improved in recent years, the recurrence rate of bladder cancer remains high, and patients with MIBC typically have an unfavourable prognosis and a low quality of life. Emerging evidence demonstrates that long noncoding RNAs play a crucial role in the carcinogenesis and progression of bladder cancer. Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are a subgroup of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that do not overlap protein-coding genes. The potential role of lincRNAs in the regulation of gene expression has been explored in depth in recent years. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that mainly exist in the nucleolus, are approximately 60-300 nucleotides in length, and are hosted inside the introns of genes. Small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) have been associated with the origin and development of bladder cancer. In this review, we aim to comprehensively summarize the biological functions of these molecules in bladder cancer.

Long Noncoding RNAs and Cancer Stem Cells: Dangerous Liaisons Managing Cancer

Decades of research have investigated the mechanisms that lead to the origin of cancer, striving to identify tumor-initiating cells. These cells, also known as cancer stem cells, are characterized by the ability to self-renew, to give rise to differentiated tumor populations, and on a larger scale, are deemed responsible not only for tumor initiation but also for recurrent tumors, often resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Long noncoding RNAs are RNA molecules longer than 200 nt, lacking the ability to code for proteins, with recognized roles as fine regulators of gene expression. They can exert these functions through a variety of mechanisms, acting at almost all steps of gene expression, from modulation of the epigenetic state of chromatin to modulation of protein stability. In all cases, lncRNAs do not work alone, but they always interact with other RNA molecules, either coding or non-coding, or with protein factors. In this review, we summarize the latest results obtained about the involvement of lncRNAs in the initiating cells of several types of tumors, and highlight the different mechanisms through which they work, while discussing how the modulation of a lncRNA can affect several aspects of tumor onset and progression.

Long Noncoding RNAs in the Pathogenesis of Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance (IR), designated as the blunted response of insulin target tissues to physiological level of insulin, plays crucial roles in the development and progression of diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and other diseases. So far, the distinct mechanism(s) of IR still needs further exploration. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of non-protein coding RNA molecules with a length greater than 200 nucleotides. LncRNAs are widely involved in many biological processes including cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism. More recently, there has been increasing evidence that lncRNAs participated in the pathogenesis of IR, and the dysregulated lncRNA profile played important roles in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes and NAFLD. For example, the lncRNAs MEG3, H19, MALAT1, GAS5, lncSHGL and several other lncRNAs have been shown to regulate insulin signaling and glucose/lipid metabolism in various tissues. In this review, we briefly introduced the general features of lncRNA and the methods for lncRNA research, and then summarized and discussed the recent advances on the roles and mechanisms of lncRNAs in IR, particularly focused on liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissues.