Tumor microenvironment immune-related lncRNA signature for patients with melanoma

Regulatory miRNAs and lncRNAs in Skin Cancer: A Narrative Review

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have a significant regulatory role in the pathogenesis of skin cancer, despite the fact that protein-coding genes have generally been the focus of research efforts in the field. We comment on the actions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the current review with an eye toward potential therapeutic treatments. LncRNAs are remarkably adaptable, acting as scaffolding, guides, or decoys to modify key signaling pathways (i.e., the Wnt/β-catenin pathway) and gene expression. As post-transcriptional gatekeepers, miRNAs control gene expression by attaching to messenger RNAs and causing their degradation or suppression during translation. Cell cycle regulation, cellular differentiation, and immunological responses are all affected by the dysregulation of miRNAs observed in skin cancer. NcRNAs also show promise as diagnostic biomarkers and prognostic indicators. Unraveling the complexity of the regulatory networks governed by ncRNAs in skin cancer offers unprecedented opportunities for groundbreaking targeted therapies, revolutionizing the landscape of dermatologic care.

A novel endoplasmic reticulum stress-related lncRNA prognostic risk model for cutaneous melanoma

OBJECTIVE

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important in melanoma development and progression. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of ERS-associated lncRNA profiles in cutaneous melanoma (CM).

METHODS

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) provides the raw data of CM. GSEA website was used to obtain ERS-related genes, and mRNA and LncRNA co-expression network were used to obtain ERS-related lncRNAs. A Lasso regression analysis was used to identify a prognostic risk model for the composition of ERS-related lncRNAs. Patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups based on the model's risk score. The researchers then compared the two groups' survival rates, immune infiltration, chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity, and immune checkpoint gene expression.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine ERS-related lncRNAs were discovered to be prognostic. A prognostic risk model made up of ten ERS-related lncRNAs was discovered. Patients in the low-risk group had a better prognosis than those in the high-risk group. An examination of tumor microenvironment revealed that risk scores correlated with immune cell infiltration in eight cases. Dacarbazine, paclitaxel, and cisplatin, three chemotherapy drugs, were more sensitive in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group.

CONCLUSION

This study identified a risk model of ten ERS-related lncRNAs that have significant prognostic value in CM and could help guide clinical treatment.

Construction of five cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature for predicting prognosis and immune activity in skin cutaneous melanoma

Cuproptosis is a newly discovered new mechanism of programmed cell death, and its unique pathway to regulate cell death is thought to have a unique role in understanding cancer progression and guiding cancer therapy. However, this regulation has not been studied in SKCM at present. In this study, data on Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM) patients were downloaded from the TCGA database. We screened the genes related to cuproptosis from the published papers and confirmed the lncRNAs related to them. We applied Univariate/multivariate and LASSO Cox regression algorithms, and finally identified 5 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs for constructing prognosis prediction models (VIM-AS1, AC012443.2, MALINC1, AL354696.2, HSD11B1-AS1). The reliability and validity test of the model indicated that the model could well distinguish the prognosis and survival of SKCM patients. Next, immune microenvironment, immunotherapy analysis, and functional enrichment analysis were also performed. In conclusion, this study is the first analysis based on cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in SKCM and aims to open up new directions for SKCM therapy.

PINTology: A short history of the lncRNA LINC-PINT in different diseases

LINC-PINT is a p53-induced long intergenic noncoding transcript that plays a crucial role in many diseases, especially cancer. This long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) gene produces in total 102 (LNCipedia) alternatively spliced variants (LINC-PINT:1 to LINC-PINT:102). The functions of known variants include RNA transcripts, host transcripts for circular RNA (circRNA) generation and as sources for the translation of short peptides. In most human tumors, LINC-PINT is down-regulated where it serves as a tumor suppressor. However, the diversity of its functions in other maladies signifies its general clinical importance. Current LINC-PINT molecular functions include RNA-protein interactions, miRNA sponging and epigenetic modulation with these mechanisms operating in different cellular contexts to exert effects on biological processes ranging from DNA damage responses, cell cycle and growth arrest, senescence, cell migration and invasion, and apoptosis. Genetic polymorphisms in LINC-PINT have also been functionally associated with cancer and other pathologies including the autoimmune diseases pemphigus foliaceus and arthritis. Hence, LINC-PINT shows great potential as a clinical biomarker, especially for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. In this review, we explore the current knowledge highlighting the distinctive molecular functions of LINC-PINT in specific cancers and other disease states. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.

Regulation of LncRNAs in Melanoma and Their Functional Roles in the Metastatic Process

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of numerous intracellular processes leading to tumorigenesis. They are frequently deregulated in cancer, functioning as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. As they act through multiple mechanisms, it is not surprising that they may exert dual functions in the same tumor. In melanoma, a highly invasive and metastatic tumor with the propensity to rapidly develop drug resistance, lncRNAs play different roles in: (i) guiding the phenotype switch and leading to metastasis formation; (ii) predicting the response of melanoma patients to immunotherapy; (iii) triggering adaptive responses to therapy and acquisition of drug resistance phenotypes. In this review we summarize the most recent findings on the lncRNAs involved in melanoma growth and spreading to distant sites, focusing on their role as biomarkers for disease diagnosis and patient prognosis, or targets for novel therapeutic approaches.