Long non-coding RNA SPRY4-IT1 promotes development of hepatic cellular carcinoma by interacting with ERRα and predicts poor prognosis

ERRα: unraveling its role as a key player in cell migration

Cell migration is essential throughout the life of multicellular organisms, and largely depends on the spatial and temporal regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics, cell adhesion and signal transduction. Interestingly, Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) has been identified as a major regulator of cell migration in both physiological and pathological conditions. ERRα is an orphan member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of transcription factors and displays many biological functions. ERRα is a global regulator of energy metabolism, and it is also highly involved in bone homeostasis, development, differentiation, immunity and cancer progression. Importantly, in some instances, the regulation of these biological processes relies on the ability to orchestrate cell movements. Therefore, this review describes how ERRα-mediated cell migration contributes not only to tissue homeostasis but also to tumorigenesis and metastasis, and highlights the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which ERRα finely controls the cell migratory potential.

The integrated comprehension of lncRNA HOXA-AS3 implication on human diseases

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a non-protein-coding RNA with a length of more than 200 nucleotides. Studies have shown that lncRNAs have vital impacts on various pathological processes and participate in the development of human diseases, usually through acting as competing endogenous RNAs to modulate miRNA expression and biological functions. lncRNA HOXA Cluster Antisense RNA 3 (HOXA-AS3) was a newly discovered lncRNA and has been demonstrated to be abnormally expressed in many diseases. Moreover, HOXA-AS3 expression was closely correlated with the clinicopathologic characteristics in cancer patients. In addition, HOXA-AS3 exhibited significant properties in regulating several biological processes, including cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Furthermore, HOXA-AS3 has provided promising values in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies of several diseases such as liver cancer, glioma, lung cancer, oral cancer, gastric cancer, and even atherosclerosis. In this review, we discuss the abnormal expression of HOXA-AS3 in several human disorders and some pathobiological processes and its clinical characteristics, followed by a summary of HOXA-AS3 functions, regulatory mechanisms, and clinical application potential.

A Review on the Role of SPRY4-IT1 in the Carcinogenesis

Sprouty RTK signaling antagonist 4-intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) encoded by a gene located on 5q31.3. This lncRNA has a possible role in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis. Moreover, since SPRY4-IT1 controls levels of lipin 2, it is also involved in the biosynthesis of lipids. During the process of biogenesis, SPRY4-IT1 is produced as a primary transcript which is then cleaved to generate a mature transcript which is localized in the cytoplasm. SPRY4-IT1 has oncogenic roles in diverse tissues. A possible route of participation of SPRY4-IT1 in the carcinogenesis is through sequestering miRNAs such as miR-101-3p, miR-6882-3p and miR-22-3p. The sponging effect of SPRY4-IT1 on miR-101 has been verified in colorectal cancer, osteosarcoma, cervical cancer, bladder cancer, gastric cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. SPRY4-IT1 has functional interactions with HIF-1α, NF-κB/p65, AMPK, ZEB1, MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling. We explain the role of SPRY4-IT1 in the carcinogenesis according to evidence obtained from cell lines, xenograft models and clinical studies.

Dysregulation of lncRNAs in autoimmune neuropathies

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are inflammatory neuropathies with different clinical courses but similar underlying mechanisms. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) might affect pathogenesis of these conditions. In the current project, we have selected HULC, PVT1, MEG3, SPRY4-IT1, LINC-ROR and DSCAM-AS1 lncRNAs to appraise their transcript levels in the circulation of CIDP and GBS cases versus controls. Expression of HULC was higher in CIDP patients compared with healthy persons (Ratio of mean expression (RME) = 7.62, SE = 0.72, P < 0.001). While expression of this lncRNA was not different between female CIDP cases and female controls, its expression was higher in male CIDP cases compared with male controls (RME = 13.50, SE = 0.98, P < 0.001). Similarly, expression of HULC was higher in total GBS cases compared with healthy persons (RME = 4.57, SE = 0.65, P < 0.001) and in male cases compared with male controls (RME = 5.48, SE = 0.82, P < 0.001). Similar pattern of expression was detected between total cases and total controls. PVT1 was up-regulated in CIDP cases compared with controls (RME = 3.04, SE = 0.51, P < 0.001) and in both male and female CIDP cases compared with sex-matched controls. Similarly, PVT1 was up-regulated in GBS cases compared with controls (RME = 2.99, SE = 0.55, P vale < 0.001) and in total patients compared with total controls (RME = 3.02, SE = 0.43, P < 0.001). Expression levels of DSCAM-AS1 and SPRY4-IT1 were higher in CIDP and GBS cases compared with healthy subjects and in both sexes compared with gender-matched healthy persons. Although LINC-ROR was up-regulated in total CIDP and total GBS cases compared with controls, in sex-based comparisons, it was only up-regulated in male CIDP cases compared with male controls (RME = 3.06, P = 0.03). Finally, expression of MEG3 was up-regulated in all subgroups of patients versus controls except for male GBS controls. SPRY4-IT could differentiate CIDP cases from controls with AUC = 0.84, sensitivity = 0.63 and specificity = 0.97. AUC values of DSCAM-AS1, MEG3, HULC, PVT1 and LINC-ROR were 0.80, 0.75, 0.74, 0.73 and 0.72, respectively. In differentiation between GBS cases and controls, SPRY4-IT and DSCAM-AS1 has the AUC value of 0.8. None of lncRNAs could appropriately differentiate between CIDP and GBS cases. Combination of all lncRNAs could not significantly enhance the diagnostic power. Taken together, these lncRNAs might be involved in the development of CIDP or GBS.

NF-κB-activated SPRY4-IT1 promotes cancer cell metastasis by downregulating TCEB1 mRNA via Staufen1-mediated mRNA decay

Previous study demonstrated that most long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) function as competing endogenous RNAs or molecular sponges to negatively modulate miRNA and regulate tumor development. However, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in cancer are not fully understood. Our study describes the role of the lncRNA SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) in cancer metastasis by mechanisms related to Staufen1 (STAU1)-mediated mRNA decay (SMD). Briefly, we found that, high SPRY4-IT1 expression was associated with aggressiveness and poor outcome in human colorectal, breast and ovarian cancer tissues. In addition, functional assays revealed that SPRY4-IT1 significantly promoted colorectal, breast and ovarian cancer metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, microarray analyses identified several differentially-expressed genes upon SPRY4-IT1 overexpression in HCT 116 colorectal cancer cells. Among them, the 3'-UTR of transcription elongation factor B subunit 1 (TCEB1) mRNA can base-pair with the Alu element in the 3'-UTR of SPRY4-IT1. Moreover, SPRY4-IT1 was found to bind STAU1, promote STAU1 recruitment to the 3'-UTR of TCEB1 mRNA, and affect TCEB1 mRNA stability and expression, resulting in hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) upregulation, and thereby affecting cancer cell metastasis. In addition, STAU1 depletion abrogated TCEB1 SMD and alleviated the pro-metastatic effect of SPRY4-IT1 overexpression. Significantly, we revealed that SPRY4-IT1 is also transactivated by NF-κB/p65, which activates SPRY4-IT1 to inhibit TCEB1 expression, and subsequently upregulate HIF-1α. In conclusion, our results highlight a novel mechanism of cytoplasmic lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 in which SPRY4-IT1 affecting TCEB1 mRNA stability via STAU1-mediated degradation during cancer metastasis.

Non-coding RNA crosstalk with nuclear receptors in liver disease

The dysregulation of nuclear receptors (NRs) underlies the pathogenesis of a variety of liver disorders. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are defined as RNA molecules transcribed from DNA but not translated into proteins. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are two types of ncRNAs that have been extensively studied for regulating gene expression during diverse cellular processes. NRs as therapeutic targets in liver disease have been exemplified by the successful application of their pharmacological ligands in clinics. MiRNA-based reagents or drugs are emerging as flagship products in clinical trials. Advancing our understanding of the crosstalk between NRs and ncRNAs is critical to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This review summarizes recent findings on the reciprocal regulation between NRs and ncRNAs (mainly on miRNAs and lncRNAs) and their implication in liver pathophysiology, which might be informative to the translational medicine of targeting NRs and ncRNAs in liver disease.

Circulating Long and Circular Noncoding RNA as Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tools of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide, partially due to late diagnosis of the disease. Growing evidence in the field of biomarker discovery has shown the promising use of nucleic acid in the early detection of many cancers, including HCC. Here, we review data on how various long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) could be used as a diagnostic tool for HCC being differentially expressed in HCC compared to non-HCC patients. These non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) showed high stability in the blood being present as free-circulating molecules or encapsulated into exosomes. This review reports some recent evidence on the use of lncRNAs and circRNAs as possible diagnostic biomarkers for HCC. Further, their pathophysiological mechanism in liver carcinogenesis was also described, elucidating the complex regulatory networks making these ncRNAs of particular relevance for the study of liver malignancy cancer.

Prognostic Value of Long Noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 on Survival Outcomes in Human Carcinomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with TCGA Database

Background

Emerging evidences have shown that long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 can be aberrantly expressed in human cancers, and it could be an unfavorable prognostic factor in cancer patients. However, the prognostic mechanism of SPRY4-IT1 is still unclear. This study is aimed at evaluating its potential predictive value for cancer prognosis.

Methods

We thoroughly searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and MEDLINE databases so as to explore the relationship between SPRY4-IT1 expression and cancer prognosis value. Then, TCGA datasets were used to validate the results of our meta-analysis.

Results

In all, seventeen studies involving 1650 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that high expression of SPRY4-IT1 was significantly correlated with poor OS (HR = 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.47‐2.62, P < 0.001) in cancer patients. Furthermore, exploration of TCGA dataset further validated that SPRY4-IT1 was aberrantly expressed in various cancers, which partially confirmed our results in this meta-analysis.

Conclusions

The present systematic review and meta-analysis implicated that the aberrant expressions of lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 were strongly associated with clinical survival outcomes in various cancers and therefore might serve as a promising biomarker for predicting prognosis of human cancers.

The Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine malignancy, has become the most commonly diagnosed malignant solid tumor. Moreover, some cases have poor prognosis, and the survival period is only 3-5 months. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of functional RNA molecules more than 200 nucleotides in length that lack the ability to encode protein but participate in all aspects of gene regulation. Functionally, many lncRNAs play essential roles in epigenetic regulation at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels via various molecular mechanisms. Recent studies have discovered important roles for lncRNAs during the complex process of carcinogenesis in thyroid cancer. In this review, we focus on lncRNAs dysregulated in thyroid cancer and summarize recently reported associations between lncRNAs and thyroid cancer in order to demonstrate the significant value of lncRNAs in diagnosis and treatment.

Long noncoding RNA HIF1A-AS2 facilitates cell survival and migration by sponging miR-33b-5p to modulate SIRT6 expression in osteosarcoma

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as vital regulators in various physiological and pathological processes. It was recently found that lncRNA HIF1A-AS2 could play oncogenic roles in several cancers. However, the function and regulatory mechanism of lncRNA HIF1A-AS2 in osteosarcoma (OS) remain largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that HIF1A-AS2 was overexpressed in OS tissues and cells. Downregulation of HIF1A-AS2 significantly affects multiple biological functions in OS cells, including cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, cell apoptosis, cell migration, and cell invasiveness. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that HIF1A-AS2 can interact with miR-33b-5p and negatively regulate its expression, thereby upregulating the protein expression of miR-33b-5p’s target SIRT6. Additionally, in vivo experiments using a xenograft tumor mouse model revealed that downregulation of HIF1A-AS2 suppresses tumor growth in OS. Taken together, a newly identified regulatory mechanism for the lncRNA HIF1A-AS2–miR-33b-5p–SIRT6 axis was systematically studied in OS, which could be a promising target for the treatment of OS.

Long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 promotes proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma via mediating TNF signaling pathway

Our previous studies have indicated that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) was highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it still remained unclear how SPRY4-IT1 worked in tumorgenesis in HCC. In this study, we tested the overexpression of SPRY4-IT1 in HCC tissues and cells through a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analyses showed that the upregulation had an association with the tumor node metastasis stage, thrombin time, and alkaline phosphatase. Furthermore, SPRY4-IT1 could be involved in cell proliferation, metastasis, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in HCC in vitro and in vivo. RNA-sequencing and transcriptome analysis were carried out to explore the mechanism of SPRY4-IT1 in HCC. With SPRY4-IT1 being knocked down or overexpressed, the level of proteins in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway changed. We detected the RNA binding protein heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L (HNRNPL) as a SPRY4-IT1 interacting protein through RNA pull-down assay and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, then verified through RNA immunoprecipitation. Downregulation of HNRNPL induced the change of proteins observed on SPRY4-IT1 downregulation revealing the SPRY4-IT1: HNRNPL complex in the TNF signaling pathway and EMT process in HCC. In general, our experimental data and analysis demonstrated the role of SPRY4-IT1 in promoting progress and metastasis of HCC by the TNF signaling pathway.

Are Long Noncoding RNAs New Potential Biomarkers in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs)? The Role of H19 and MALAT1

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key regulators of genetic and epigenetic networks, and their deregulation may underlie complex diseases, such as carcinogenesis. Several studies described lncRNA alterations in patients with solid tumors. In particular, HOTAIR upregulation has been associated with tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, and poor survival in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) patients. We analyzed expression levels of other lncRNAs, H19 and MALAT1, in FFPE tissue specimens from 40 surgically resected and metastatic GIST patients, using real-time PCR analysis. H19 and MALAT1 were both upregulated in 50% of GIST patients. MALAT1 lncRNA expression levels seem to be correlated with c-KIT mutation status. The percentage of both H19 and MALAT1 upregulation was significantly higher in patients with time to progression (TTP) < 6 months as compared to patients with TTP > 6 months. The median TTP was significantly lower in patients with both H19 and MALAT1 lncRNA upregulation as compared to those with lncRNA downregulation. These data suggest a potential role for both H19 and MALAT1 lncRNAs as prognostic biomarker for the clinical selection of the best candidate to first-line treatment with imatinib.

Epilepsy Is Associated With Dysregulation of Long Non-coding RNAs in the Peripheral Blood

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of functional transcripts that are not translated to proteins. Recent investigations have underscored their role in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Methods: In the current investigation, we quantified expression levels of four lncRNAs (HOXA-AS2, SPRY4-IT1, MEG3, and LINC-ROR) in peripheral blood of epileptic patients and normal controls.

Results: Expression of HOXA-AS2 was significantly higher in patients compared with controls (Posterior beta = 1.982, P = 0.001). We detected interaction effects of gender on expression of HOXA-AS2 (P = 0.012). Further analyses showed over-expression of HOXA-AS2 in male patients compared with male controls (P = 0.003), in spite of similar levels of expression between female cases and female controls (P = 0.77). Expression of SPRY4-IT1 was higher in total patients compared with total controls (Posterior beta = 1.27, P = 0.02). Such difference was only observed between male patients and male controls when dividing study participants based on their gender (P = 0.012). There was no significant difference in expression of MEG3 and LINC-ROR between patients and controls.

Conclusion: Expression levels of all lncRNAs were correlated with each other with r values ranging from 0.61 to 0.76 (P < 0.0001). However, expressions of none of lncRNAs were correlated with age of study participants. The current data implies a putative role for two lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of epilepsy and warrants future functional studies to verify the observed association.

Long intergenic noncoding RNA SNHG16 interacts with miR-195 to promote proliferation, invasion and tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed crucial regulators in tumorgenesis. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) has been recently shown to be dysregulated, which uncovered to be a potential oncogene in some cancers. However, the biological function and potential mechanism of SNHG16 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In our study, our observations showed that the expression level of SNHG16 in HCC tissues and cell lines was upregulated compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues and normal cells. In vitro, loss-of-function experiments revealed that SNHG16 knockdown suppressed the proliferation and weakened invasion of SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells. miR-195 expression was significantly decreased in HCC tissues and negatively correlated with SNHG16 expression. Furthermore, RIP and dual luciferase reporter assays showed that SNHG16 acted as an endogenous sponge by directly binding to miR-195 and downregulated its expression. SNHG16 overexpression inverted the inhibitory effect of miR-195 on proliferation and invasion of SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells. Additionally, SNHG16 depletion resulted in lower tumor growth and weight loss, in vivo. In conclusion, our findings reported that the oncogenic role of SNHG16 in HCC tumorigenesis through a novel SNHG16-miR-195 axis, which provided a novel insight for HCC and helped to probe a potential therapeutic target for the deadly disease.

EGR1-induced upregulation of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via epigenetically silencing DKK1 and activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regarded as a group of biomarkers in the initiation and development of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LncRNA FOXD2-AS1 has been studied in human colorectal cancer and glioma as an oncogene. However, the function and mechanism of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma are marked. In this study, we found that high expression of FOXD2-AS1 predicted poor prognosis of HCC patients in the TCGA database. The dysregulation of FOXD2-AS1 was determined in HCC tissues and cell lines by qRT-PCR. Functionally, silenced FOXD2-AS1 efficiently suppressed HCC progression by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanistically, FOXD2-AS1 was found to be activated by the transcription factor EGR1. Furthermore, FOXD2-AS1 could activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The mechanism contributed to the interaction between FOXD2-AS1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was analyzed. It was uncovered that FOXD2-AS1 enhanced the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by epigenetically silencing the inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway (DKK1). Rescue assays demonstrated that DKK1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway involved in FOXD2-AS1-mediated HCC progression. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that EGR1-induced upregulation of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via epigenetically silencing DKK1 and activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Long non-coding RNA FTH1P3 regulated metastasis and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through SP1/NF-kB pathway

AIMS：: Recent research showed that Long non-protein coding RNA ferritin heavy chain 1 pseudogene 3 (FTH1P3) plays a crucial role in the course of tumor formation. The present study was aimed to explore its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

MAIN METHODS

Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to examine the expression levels of FTH1P3, mRNA SP1 and NF-kB in ESCC samples and cell lines. The impact of FTH1P3 knockdown was evaluated by WST-1 assays, colony formation assays, scratch wound assays, migration and invasion assays.

KEY FINDINGS

FTH1P3 was significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and cells (P < 0.001). Knockdown of FTH1P3 notably decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacity of ESCC cells. Silencing of FTH1P3 decreased the expression of specificity protein 1 (Sp1) and NF-kB (p65) in EC9706 and EC1.

SIGNIFICANCE

FTH1P3 plays a crucial role in ESCC tumorigenesis, and can be used as a potential therapeutic target for ESCC.

Long noncoding RNA DGCR5 represses hepatocellular carcinoma progression by inactivating Wnt signaling pathway

Increasing studies have indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, it is of great significance to identify the dysregulated lncRNAs in HCC. According to the previous reports, it has been suggested that DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 5 (DGCR5) might participate in HCC and can serve as potential biomarker for HCC. In our current study, we concentrated on the biological function and roles of lncRNA-DGCR5 in HCC. It was indicated that DGCR5 was decreased in HCC tissues and HCC cells including HepG2, Hep3B, MHCC-97L, SNU-449, and SNU-182 cells compared with the normal human liver cell line LO2. Overexpression of DGCR5 was able to restrain HCC growth, migration, and invasion capacity in HepG2 and SNU-449 cells. In addition, whether lncRNA-DGCR5 can regulate Wnt/β-catenin pathway during HCC progression is unclear. In our study, it was found that upregulation of DGCR5 inactivated Wnt signaling pathway through inhibiting β-catenin, cyclin D1 and increasing GSK-3β levels. Subsequently, in vivo tumor xenografts were established using HepG2 cells to investigate the function of DGCR5 in HCC development. Inconsistent with the in vitro findings, increase of DGCR5 dramatically suppressed HCC tumor progression in vivo. Taken these together, it was uncovered in our research that DGCR5 could play tumor suppressive role by targeting Wnt signaling in HCC progression.

Long non-coding RNA SPRY4-IT1 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by regulation of Cdc20 in pancreatic cancer cells

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in the development of human cancers including pancreatic cancer. Long non-coding RNA SPRY4-IT1 (sprouty4-intron transcript 1) has been reported to play an oncogenic role in various types of human carcinomas. However, the role of SPRY4-IT1 in pancreatic cancer is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the function of SPRY4-IT1 on proliferation and invasion in pancreatic cancer. In the current study, we dissected the function and mechanism of SPRY4-IT1 by multiple approaches including Real-time RT-PCR, Western blotting analysis, MTT assay, Wound healing assay, Transwell assay, and transfection. We found that down-regulation of SPRY4-IT1 inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, SPRY4-IT1 knockdown induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, inhibition of SPRY4-IT1 retarded cell migration and invasion in pancreatic cancer cells. Overexpression of SPRY4-IT1 enhanced cell growth and invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Mechanistically, suppression of SPRY4-IT1 inhibited the expression of Cdc20 in pancreatic cancer cells. Our findings demonstrated that inhibition of SPRY4-IT1 could be a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Behind the curtain of non-coding RNAs; long non-coding RNAs regulating hepatocarcinogenesis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive cancers worldwide. HCC is the fifth common malignancy in the world and the second leading cause of cancer death in Asia. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNAs with a length greater than 200 nucleotides that do not encode proteins. lncRNAs can regulate gene expression and protein synthesis in several ways by interacting with DNA, RNA and proteins in a sequence specific manner. They could regulate cellular and developmental processes through either gene inhibition or gene activation. Many studies have shown that dysregulation of lncRNAs is related to many human diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, genetic disorders, neurological diseases, immune mediated disorders and cancers. However, the study of lncRNAs is challenging as they are poorly conserved between species, their expression levels aren’t as high as that of mRNAs and have great interpatient variations. The study of lncRNAs expression in cancers have been a breakthrough as it unveils potential biomarkers and drug targets for cancer therapy and helps understand the mechanism of pathogenesis. This review discusses many long non-coding RNAs and their contribution in HCC, their role in development, metastasis, and prognosis of HCC and how to regulate and target these lncRNAs as a therapeutic tool in HCC treatment in the future.