LncRNAs: key players and novel insights into cervical cancer

Abstract

Cervical cancer contributed the second highest number of deaths in female cancers, exceeded only by breast cancer, carrying high risks of morbidity and mortality. There was a great need and urgency in searching novel treatment targets and prognosis biomarkers to improve the survival rate of cervical cancer patients. Many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were emerging as pivotal regulators in various biological processes and took vitally an effect on the oncogenesis and progression of cervical cancer. In this review, we summarized the origin and overview function of lncRNAs; highlighted the roles of lncRNAs in cervical cancer in terms of prognosis and tumor progression, invasion and metastasis, apoptosis, and radio-resistance; and outlined the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in cervical cancer from the aspects of the interaction of lncRNAs with proteins/mRNAs (especially in HPV protein) and miRNAs, as well as RNA N-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation of lncRNAs. Meanwhile, the application of lncRNAs as biomarkers in cervical cancer prognosis and predictors for metastasis was also discussed. An overview of these researches will be valuable for broadening horizons into mechanisms, selection of meritorious biomarkers for diagnosis as well as prognosis, and future targeted therapy of cervical cancer.

Lnc-CC3 increases metastasis in cervical cancer by increasing Slug expression

“…However, many recent studies have examined the roles of various lncRNAs in cancer; examples include MALAT1 in small cell lung carcinoma [38, 39], lncRNA-ATB in hepatocellular carcinoma, and NKILA in breast cancer [40, 41]. Many lncRNAs also participate in the progression of cervical cancer, affecting proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, radio-resistance, and HPV [42–44]. Many potentially cancer-relevant lncRNAs have not yet been characterized, and future lncRNA studies may help greatly improve individualized diagnosis techniques [45, 46].…”

HOTAIR: An Oncogenic Long Non-Coding RNA in Human Cancer

“…Thus, novel treatment targets and prognosis biomarkers need to be identified to improve the survival of patients with CaCx. Many lncRNAs emerged as pivotal regulators in various biological processes and played important roles in oncogenesis and progression of CaCx [92]. High HOTAIR expression in CaCx was significantly correlated with progression and poor prognosis, and elevated HOTAIR expression could induce radioresistance by inhibiting p21; this finding indicates that targeting HOTAIR is a potential therapeutic strategy in CaCx [93].…”

Structural Basis for Cooperative Function of Mettl3 and Mettl14 Methyltransferases

“…Recent studies have intensely investigated how m 6 A-modification of RNA contributes to central events in biology (Fu et al, 2014; Liu and Pan, 2016; Meyer and Jaffrey, 2014). Impaired function of m 6 A writers, readers, and erasers have been linked to problems in self-renewal of stem cells, circadian clock and developmental defects, obesity, synaptic signaling, and cancers (Ben-Haim et al, 2014; Chen et al, 2015; Fustin et al, 2013; Geula et al, 2015; Peng et al, 2016; Wang et al, 2014a; Zheng et al, 2013). …”