Long and short noncoding RNAs in lung cancer precision medicine: Opportunities and challenges

Diagnostic applications and therapeutic option of Cascade CRISPR/Cas in the modulation of miRNA in diverse cancers: promises and obstacles

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas technology is a molecular tool specific to sequences for engineering genomes. Among diverse clusters of Cas proteins, the class 2/type II CRISPR/Cas9 system, despite several challenges, such as off-target effects, editing efficiency, and efficient delivery, has shown great promise for driver gene mutation discovery, high-throughput gene screening, epigenetic modulation, nucleic acid detection, disease modeling, and more importantly for therapeutic purposes. CRISPR-based clinical and experimental methods have applications across a wide range of areas, especially for cancer research and, possibly, anticancer therapy. On the other hand, given the influential role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulations of cellular division, carcinogenicity, tumorigenesis, migration/invasion, and angiogenesis in diverse normal and pathogenic cellular processes, in different stages of cancer, miRNAs are either oncogenes or tumor suppressors, according to what type of cancer they are involved in. Hence, these noncoding RNA molecules are conceivable biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic targets. Moreover, they are suggested to be adequate predictors for cancer prediction. Conclusive evidence proves that CRISPR/Cas system can be applied to target small non-coding RNAs. However, the majority of studies have highlighted the application of the CRISPR/Cas system for targeting protein-coding regions. In this review, we specifically discuss diverse applications of CRISPR-based tools for probing miRNA gene function and miRNA-based therapeutic involvement in different types of cancers.

High-Accuracy ncRNA Function Prediction via Deep Learning Using Global and Local Sequence Information

The prediction of the biological function of non-coding ribonucleic acid (ncRNA) is an important step towards understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying many diseases. Since non-coding RNAs are present in great abundance in human cells and are functionally diverse, developing functional prediction tools is necessary. With recent advances in non-coding RNA biology and the availability of complete genome sequences for a large number of species, we now have a window of opportunity for studying non-coding RNA biology. However, the computational methods used to predict the non-coding RNA functions are mostly either scarcely accurate, when based on sequence information alone, or prohibitively expensive in terms of computational burden when a secondary structure prediction is needed. We propose a novel computational method to predict the biological function of non-coding RNA genes that is based on a collection of deep network architectures utilizing solely ncRNA sequence information and which does not rely on or require expensive secondary ncRNA structure information. The approach presented in this work exhibits comparable or superior accuracy to methods that employ both sequence and structural features, at a much lower computational cost.

The Mechanism Underlying the Regulation of Long Non-coding RNA MEG3 in Cerebral Ischemic Stroke

Cerebral ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and rapidly increasing annually with no more effective therapeutic measures. Thus, the novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are urgent to be identified for prevention and therapy of ischemic stroke. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a major family of noncoding RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides, have been considered as new targets for modulating pathological process of ischemic stroke. In this review, we summarized that the lncRNA-maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) played a critical role in promotion of neuronal cell death and inhibition of angiogenesis in response to hypoxia or ischemia condition, and further described the challenge of overcrossing blood-brain barrier (BBB) and determination of optimal carrier for delivering lncRNA' drugs into the specific brain regions. In brief, MEG3 will be a potential diagnostic biomarker and drug target in treatment and therapy of ischemic stroke in the future.

Targeting Epigenetics in Lung Cancer

The epigenetic landscape, which in part includes DNA methylation, chromatin organization, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA regulation, greatly contributes to the heterogeneity that makes developing effective therapies for lung cancer challenging. This review will provide an overview of the epigenetic alterations that have been implicated in all aspects of cancer pathogenesis and progression as well as summarize clinical applications for targeting epigenetics in the treatment of lung cancer.

LINC01783 facilitates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in non-small cell lung cancer by targeting miR-432-5p to activate the notch pathway

Background

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common malignancy around the globe. Increasing long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to be associated with the progression of cancers, including NSCLC. Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1783 (LINC01783) is a novel lncRNA and its regulatory function as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) has not been studied in NSCLC.

Methods

RT-qPCR measured the expression level of LINC01783 in NSCLC cells. CCK-8, EdU, transwell and wound healing assays were conducted to detect cell proliferation, migration and invasion in NSCLC. The relationship between miR-432-5p and LINC01783 along with delta like 1 (DLL-1) was illustrated by RNA pull down, RIP and luciferase reporter assays.

Results

LINC01783 was found remarkably increased in NSCLC cell lines, and down-regulation of LINC01783 suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Then, we discovered Notch pathway was related to the progression of NSCLC, and DLL-1 expression was reduced by LINC01783 knockdown. Furthermore, DLL-1 overexpression could counteract the suppressive effects of LINC01783 down-regulation on the growth of NSCLC cells. MiR-432-5p was observed to be the mutual miRNA that could bind with both LINC01783 and DLL-1. Overexpression of miR-432-5p inhibited DLL-1 expression. In the rescue assays, miR-432-5p depletion offset the impacts of LINC01783 knockdown, and then DLL-1 silence recovered the influence of miR-432-5p down-regulation on NSCLC cell growth.

Conclusion

LINC01783 aggravates NSCLC cell growth by regulating Notch pathway and sponging miR-432-5p, being a potential target in the treatment for NSCLC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01912-0.

LncRNA ST7-AS1 is a Potential Novel Biomarker and Correlated With Immune Infiltrates for Breast Cancer

Background: Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ST7-AS1 can be observed in various cancers, but its role in breast cancer (BRC) remains unclear. Our aim is to, on the basis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, prove the correlation between lncRNA ST7-AS1 and BRC.

Methods: The lncRNA ST7-AS1 expression and its roles in the prognosis of BRC were explored using data from the TCGA database. The expression level of lncRNA ST7-AS1 in BRC samples was detected using RT-PCR. The 1-, 3-, or 5-year survival rate was predicted using a nomogram established through Cox proportional hazard regression. At last, the biological function was explored through gene ontology (GO) analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The hallmark pathways significantly involved in hub genes were described through functional enrichment analysis. The correlation between lncRNA ST7-AS1 expression and immune infiltration was analyzed through single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA).

Results: LncRNA ST7-AS1 expression was downregulated in BRC. Decreased lncRNA ST7-AS1 expression in BRC was correlated with advanced clinical pathologic characteristics (high grade, histological type, age, menopause status, and HER2 status), survival time, and poor prognosis. The nomogram was established for using lncRNA ST7-AS1 to predict 1-, 3-, or 5-year survival in patients with BRC. In addition, GO and pathway analyses suggested the involvement of lncRNA ST7-AS1 in cell cycle, DNA repair, and immune cell infiltration in the BRC immune microenvironment. We found the correlation of lncRNA ST7-AS1 with T helper cells and DC cells.

Conclusion: Low expression of lncRNA ST7-AS1 indicates poor prognosis and has an impact on cell cycle, DNA repair, and proportion of infiltrating immune cells in the BRC microenvironment. Therefore, lncRNA ST7-AS1 can be used as a protective prognostic marker and a potential treatment target for BRC.

Long non‑coding RNA PITPNA‑AS1 silencing suppresses proliferation, metastasis and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition in non‑small cell lung cancer cells by targeting microRNA‑32‑5p

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and has a high mortality rate, worldwide. The major histopathological subtype is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of long non-coding (lnc) RNA PITPNA antisense RNA 1 (PITPNA-AS1) in NSCLC and elucidate its potential mechanisms. The expression of PITPNA-AS1 was determined in several NSCLC cell lines. Following PITPNA-AS1-silencing, cell proliferation, invasion and migration were evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, Transwell assay and wound healing assays, respectively. The expression levels of proliferation-, migration- and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated proteins were examined using immunofluorescence assay or western blot analysis. A luciferase reporter assay was conducted to verify the potential interaction between PITPNA-AS1 and microRNA(miR)-32-5p. Subsequently, rescue assays were performed to investigate the effects of PITPNA-AS1 and miR-32-5p on NSCLC progression. The results demonstrated that PITPNA-AS1 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. It was found that PITPNA-AS1 silencing inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, the protein expression of E-cadherin was upregulated, while the expression levels N-cadherin and vimentin were downregulated. The luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-32-5p was a direct target of PITPNA-AS1. The rescue experiments suggested that a miR-32-5p inhibitor significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of PITPNA-AS1 silencing on proliferation, invasion, migration and EMT in NSCLC cells. Collectively, the present results demonstrated that PITPNA-AS1 silencing could suppress the progression of NSCLC by targeting miR-32-5p, suggesting a promising biomarker in NSCLC diagnosis and treatment.

NUCKS1 Promotes Proliferation, Invasion and Migration of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Upregulating CDK1 Expression

Background

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a predominant type of lung cancer with a high mortality rate.

Objective

The aim of this study is to investigate the roles of nuclear casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate 1 (NUCKS1) in NSCLC and to identify the potential mechanisms.

Materials and Methods

The expression of NUCKS1 in several NSCLC cells was detected firstly. Then, NUCKS1 was overexpressed or silenced in both A549 and NCI-H460 cells, where cell proliferation, invasion and migration were, respectively, determined, using CCK-8, colony formation assay, transwell and wound healing assays. Cell cycle analysis was performed, and the expression-associated proteins were detected by Western blotting. Subsequently, NCI-H460 cells with NUCKS1 overexpression for the subsequent tumor-bearing experiment. And the NUCKS1 expression in tumor tissues was measured by means of immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Additionally, the STRING database predicted that Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 1 (CDK1) would bind to NUSK1, which was verified by the co-immunoprecipitation assay. Then, CDK1 was silenced by transfection with short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-CDK-1 or by exposure to CDK1 inhibitor p2767-00. And the biological characteristics of proliferation, invasion and migration were examined.

Results

Results indicated that NUCKS1 was overly expressed in NSCLC cells, and its overexpression promoted proliferation, invasion and migration of both A549 and NCI-H460 cells while NUCKS1 knockdown displayed the opposite effects. Moreover, the results of the xenograft experiments revealed that NUCKS1-upregulation promoted the tumor growth. Furthermore, the immunoprecipitation assay verified CDK1’s interaction with NUCKS1, and CDK1 knockdown alleviates the impact of NUCKS1 overexpression on NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion and migration.

Conclusion

Taken together, these findings demonstrated that NUCKS1 promotes proliferation, invasion and migration of NSCLC by upregulating CDK1, providing a novel putative target for the clinical treatment of NSCLC.

Long Non-Coding RNA in Drug Resistance of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Mini Review

Lung cancer is one of main causes of cancer mortality and 83% of lung cancer cases are classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with NSCLC usually have a poor prognosis and one of the leading causes is drug resistance. With the progress of drug therapy, the emergence and development of drug resistance affected the prognosis of patients severely. Accumulating evidence reveals that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as “dark matters” of the human genome, is of great significance to drug resistance in NSCLC. Herein, we review the role of lncRNAs in drug resistance in NSCLC.

The long noncoding RNA ST7-AS1 promotes laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by stabilizing CARM1

The laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) represents a malignant cancer and contributes largely to head and neck tumorigenesis. The molecular mechanisms for LSCC progression are poorly understood. In current work, we identified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) termed suppressor of tumorigenicity 7 antisense RNA 1 (ST7-AS1) as an oncogenic factor in LSCC. ST7-AS1 is frequently overexpressed in LSCC tissues and cell lines. ST7-AS1 is required for the malignancy of LSCC cells through migration, tumor sphere formation assay and in vivo implantation. Mechanistically, ST7-AS1 could interact with CARM1, a well characterized protein arginine methyltransferase and protect CARM1 from ubiquitin-dependent degradation. CARM1 can methylate Sox-2, a pluripotent transcription factor. Thus, ST7-AS1 might mediate its oncogenic effect by signaling through CARM1-Sox-2 axis to enhance Sox-2 self-association and transactivation activity. Collectively, we have unraveled a ST7-AS1/CARM1/Sox-2 signaling axis in LSCC and may have created novel interconnections between noncoding RNAs and cancer development.

Multidimensional communication of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in lung cancer

PURPOSE

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been a hot topic for many years in the field of cancer research, especially miRNAs and lncRNAs. Because they play critical roles in regulating various cellular processes and are more often involved in tumorigenesis than protein-coding genes. But the cross talk between miRNAs and lncRNAs in cancer has been scarcely studied. This article aims to provide a retrospective review of the latest research on the link between miRNAs and lncRNAs in lung cancer and discusses their potential role as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for lung cancer in clinical practice.

METHODS

We reviewed literatures about ncRNAs and lung cancer from PUBMED databases in this article.

RESULTS

As shown in our review, miRNAs and lncRNAs could represent underlying targets for diagnosis, therapy, prognosis, and drug resistence of lung cancer. By acting as ceRNAs, lncRNAs can competitively inhibit the expression levels of miRNAs, and the lncRNA/miRNA axis can contribute to tumorigenesis, metastasis, and mutidrug resistance in lung cancer via various classic signaling pathways or related proteins.

CONCLUSION

Based on present knowledge, ncRNAs may provide a novel perspective to understand the pathogenesis of lung cancer and could be candidates in screening of therapeutic targets for lung cancer.

Circular RNAs Serve as Novel Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Cancers

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that structurally form closed loops without 5'-end cap and 3'-end poly(A) tail unlike linear RNAs. CircRNAs are widely present in eukaryotic cells with the capabilities of structural stability, high abundance and cell- /tissue-specific expression. A growing body of researches suggest that the dysregulated circRNAs are intimately relevant to the occurrence and development of cancer. In this review, we mainly discuss the differentially expressed circRNAs in cancer tissues, plasma and exosomes, which makes it possible for clinicians to use certain circRNAs as novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In particular, we primarily focus on circRNAs as potential therapeutic targets, which will provide promising applications in cancer gene therapy.

The positive feedback between lncRNA TNK2-AS1 and STAT3 enhances angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer

Evidence has shown the importance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) during angiogenesis and lung cancer progression. However, the potential functions of TNK2-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain elusive. By lncRNA profiling, we identified TNK2-AS1 as a novel oncogenic lncRNA in NSCLC. TNK2-AS1 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC and correlated with poor prognosis. We found that TNK2-AS1 could increase viability and migration of NSCLC cells in vitro. TNK2-AS1 also promoted NSCLC xenograft tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. TNK2-AS1 could interact with STAT3 to increase its protein stability by protecting it from proteasome-mediated degradation. STAT3 could also bind TNK2-AS1 promoter to trigger its transcription. The positive feedback loop between STAT3 and TNK2-AS1 therefore augmented STAT3 signaling by elevating VEGFA expression to facilitate angiogenesis. Collectively, our work has elucidated a novel mechanism of TNK2-AS1-mediated angiogenesis by enforcing STAT3/VEGFA signaling and may provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Predictive relevance of ncRNAs in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with radiotherapy: a review of the published data

Radiotherapy is one of the most commonly used methods to treat non-small-cell lung cancer. However, radiotherapy, especially thoracic radiotherapy, is always accompanied by radiation-induced complications or radioresistance. In this regard, ncRNAs, including miRNAs and lncRNAs, have received considerable interest for their predictive relevance. This review article illustrates the recent findings about the possible involvement of ncRNAs, mainly miRNAs and lncRNAs, in radioresistance and radiation-induced complications and their potential use for predicting radiation-induced complications and radiotherapy response.

The long non-coding RNA LSINCT5 promotes malignancy in non-small cell lung cancer by stabilizing HMGA2

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can actively participate in tumorigenesis in various cancers. However, the involvement of lncRNA long stress induced non-coding transcripts 5 (LSINCT5) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. Here we showed a novel lncRNA signature in NSCLC through lncRNA profiling. Increased LSINCT5 expression positively correlates with malignant clinicopathological features and poor survival. LSINCT5 can promote migration and viability of various NSCLC cells in vitro and also enhance lung cancer progression in vivo. RNA immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry has identified that LSINCT5 interacts with HMGA2. This physical interaction can increase the stability of HMGA2 by inhibiting proteasome-mediated degradation. Therefore, LSINCT5 may possibly contribute to NSCLC tumorigenesis by stabilizing the oncogenic factor of HMGA2. This novel LSINCT5/HMGA2 axis can modulate lung cancer progression and might be a promising target for pharmacological intervention.

Latest development on RNA-based drugs and vaccines

Drugs and vaccines based on mRNA and RNA viruses show great potential and direct translation in the cytoplasm eliminates chromosomal integration. Limitations are associated with delivery and stability issues related to RNA degradation. Clinical trials on RNA-based drugs have been conducted in various disease areas. Likewise, RNA-based vaccines for viral infections and various cancers have been subjected to preclinical and clinical studies. RNA delivery and stability improvements include RNA structure modifications, targeting dendritic cells and employing self-amplifying RNA. Single-stranded RNA viruses possess self-amplifying RNA, which can provide extreme RNA replication in the cytoplasm to support RNA-based drug and vaccine development. Although oligonucleotide-based approaches have demonstrated potential, the focus here is on mRNA- and RNA virus-based methods.

Drug development has suffered from inefficiency, side effects and high costs. For this reason novel approaches for drug discovery are of great importance. RNA-based methods provide the advantage of targeting ‘production’ of drugs to diseased cells and vaccines to immune response-stimulating cells. RNA drugs have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in eye and heart diseases and in various cancers in clinical trials. Likewise, RNA-based vaccines have provided protection against challenges with lethal doses of viruses such as Ebola and cancer cells in animal models.

Silencing of Long Non-coding RNA MIAT Sensitizes Lung Cancer Cells to Gefitinib by Epigenetically Regulating miR-34a

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT) was recently identified as oncogene in several cancers. However, the role of MIAT on acquired resistance in lung cancer and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we showed that the expression of MIAT in lung cancer tissues was upregulated compared with adjacent tissues. LncRNA MIAT expression was associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and TNM stage. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis revealed that the lncRNA MIAT to be an independent factor for predicating the prognosis of lung cancer patients. Low lncRNA MIAT have longer overall survival time and progression-free survival time than patients with high lncRNA MIAT expression. Moreover, the knockdown of MIAT significantly sensitized PC9 and gefitinib-resistant PC9 cells to gefitinib in vitro and in vivo, and increased the expression of miR-34a and inactivated PI3K/Akt signaling. MIAT interacted with miR-34a and epigenetically controlled the miR-34a expression by hyper-methylating its promotor. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that knockdown of MIAT by siRNA enhances lung cancer cells to gefitinib through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by epigenetically regulating miR-34a. Thus, MIAT may be a useful prognostic marker and therapeutic target for lung cancer patients.

TINCR facilitates non-small cell lung cancer progression through BRAF-activated MAPK pathway

Long non-coding RNAs are critically involved in oncogenesis in various cancer types. Here we reported a novel lncRNA signature correlated with progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In particular, we identified elevated expression of terminal differentiation-induced noncoding RNA (TINCR) in human NSCLC samples, which were associated with enhanced migration, viability in NSCLC cells in vitro. Higher TINCR level was also correlated with poor survival. Furthermore, TINCR increased xenograft tumor growth in vivo mouse models. Mechanistic study demonstrated that TINCR can interact with BRAF to facilitate its kinase activity, thereby leading to activation of oncogenic mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. These results suggested that TINCR upregulation may signal through the MAPK pathway to promote NSCLC tumorigenesis. Therefore, TINCR may serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for NSCLC patients.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated noncoding RNA editing in human cancers

Cancer is characterized by multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations, including a higher prevalence of mutations of oncogenes and/or tumor suppressors. Mounting evidences have shown that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are involved in the epigenetic regulation of cancer genes and their associated pathways. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated nuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, a revolutionary genome-editing technology, has shed light on ncRNA-based cancer therapy. Here, we briefly introduce the classifications and mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9 system. Importantly, we mainly focused on the applications of CRISPR/Cas9 system as a molecular tool for ncRNA (microRNA, long noncoding RNA and circular RNA, etc.) editing in human cancers, and the novel techniques that are based on CRISPR/Cas9 system. Additionally, the off-target effects and the corresponding solutions as well as the challenges toward CRISPR/Cas9 were also evaluated and discussed. Long- and short-ncRNAs have been employed as targets in precision oncology, and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated ncRNA editing may provide an excellent way to cure cancer.

Long non-coding RNA deep sequencing reveals the role of macrophage in liver disorders

Liver disorders such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are a series of the most life threatening diseases along with extensive inflammatory cellular infiltrations. Macrophage has been proved to be key regulators and initiators of inflammation, and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recommended to play critical roles in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. To uncover the role of macrophage in liver disorders via lncRNA sequencing method, we first applied a lncRNA classification pipeline to identify 1247 lncRNAs represented on the Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430/430A 2.0 array. We then analyzed the lncRNA expression patterns in a set of previously published gene expression profiles of silica particle exposed macrophages and liver respectively, and identified and validated sets of differentially expressed lncRNAs shared by macrophages and liver. The functional enrichment analysis of these lncRNAs was processed on the basis of their expression signatures, three aspects including cis, trans and co-acting proteins were proposed. This is the first time to correlate macrophage with liver disorders via co-expressed lncRNAs. Our findings indicated that roles of macrophage in liver disorders were double-edged, the differentially expressed lncRNAs and their corresponding regulatory genes or proteins may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Prognostic role of long non-coding RNA TUG1 expression in various cancers: a meta-analysis

Several studies were conducted to explore the prognostic role of long non-coding RNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (lncRNA TUG1) expression in various cancers, with contradictory. This study aims to summarize the prognostic role of lncRNA TUG1 expression in various cancers. Embase, PubMed and Cochrane Library were completely retrieved. The cohort studies focusing on the prognostic role of lncRNA TUG1 expression in various cancers were eligible. The endpoints were overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological parameters. 9 studies involving a total of 1,078 patients were identified. The results showed that high lncRNA TUG1 expression was obviously associated with worse OS when compared to the low lncRNA TUG1 expression (HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.07–1.76, P = 0.01; I² = 85%). However, No distinct relationship was observed between the lncRNA TUG1 expression and age (OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.76–1.28, P = 0.92; I2 = 4%), gender (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.70–1.22, P = 0.57; I² = 0%), diameter (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.34–2.01, P = 0.67; I² = 85%), smoking (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.37–3.21, P = 0.87; I² = 73%), TNM stage (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.25–1.43, P = 0.25; I² = 86%) and lymph node metastasis (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.47–2.45, P = 0.87; I² = 86%). In conclusion, it was revealed that high lncRNA TUG1 expression is an unfavorable predictor of OS in patients with cancers, and lncRNA TUG1 expression is a promising prognostic biomarker for various cancers.

Non-coding RNAs as a new dawn in tumor diagnosis

The current knowledge about non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as important regulators of gene expression in both physiological and pathological conditions, has been the main engine for the design of innovative platforms to finalize the pharmacological application of ncRNAs as either therapeutic tools or as molecular biomarkers in cancer. Biochemical alterations of cancer cells are, in fact, largely supported by ncRNA disregulation in the tumor site, which, in turn, reflects the cancer-associated specific modification of circulating ncRNA expression pattern. The aim of this review is to describe the state of the art of pre-clinical and clinical studies that analyze the involvement of miRNAs and lncRNAs in cancer-related processes, such as proliferation, invasion and metastases, giving emphasis to their functional role. A central node of our work has been also the examination of advantages and criticisms correlated with the clinical use of ncRNAs, taking into account the pressing need to refine the profiling methods aimed at identify novel diagnostic and prognostic markers and the request to optimize the delivery of such nucleic acids for a therapeutic use in an imminent future.

Epigenetic Regulation of the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It is an aggressive and devastating cancer because of metastasis triggered by enhanced migration and invasion, and resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental developmental process that is reactivated in wound healing and a variety of diseases including cancer where it promotes migration/invasion and metastasis, resistance to treatment, and generation and maintenance of cancer stem cells. The induction of EMT is associated with reprogramming of the epigenome. This review focuses on major mechanisms of epigenetic regulation mainly in lung cancer with recent data on EZH2 (enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit ), the catalytic subunit of the PRC2 (Polycomb Group PcG), that behaves as an oncogene in lung cancer associated with gene repression, non-coding RNAs and the epitranscriptome.