Epigenetic regulation of HOTAIR in advanced chronic myeloid leukemia

HOTAIR in cancer: diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic perspectives

The long non-coding RNA HOTAIR is overexpressed in many cancers and is associated with several cancer-promoting effects, including increased cell proliferation, migration and treatment resistance. HOTAIR levels correlate with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and overall survival in patients with various types of cancer. This highlights the potential uses of HOTAIR, including early cancer detection, predicting patient outcome, identifying high-risk individuals and assisting in therapy selection and monitoring. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the research progress, molecular mechanisms and clinical significance of HOTAIR in various human cancers. In addition, the clinical applications of HOTAIR, such as targeted therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, are discussed, and relevant information on the potential future advances of HOTAIR in cancer research is provided.

Expression of HOTAIR and PTGS2 as potential biomarkers in chronic myeloid leukemia patients in Brazil

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm in which all the patients has the translocation (9;22) that generates de BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase. Despite this disease possessing a good biomarker (BCR::ABL1 transcripts level) for diagnosis and prognosis, many studies has been performed to investigate other molecules, such as the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs, as potential biomarkers with the aim of predicting a change in BCR::ABL1 levels and as an associated biomarker. A RNAseq was performed comparing 6 CML patients with high BCR::ABL1 expression with 6 healthy control individuals, comprising the investigation cohort to investigate these molecules. To validate the results obtained by RNAseq, samples of 87 CML patients and 42 healthy controls were used in the validation cohort by RT-qPCR assays. The results showed lower expression of HOTAIR and PTGS2 in CML patients. The HOTAIR expression is inversely associated with BCR::ABL1 expression in imatinib-treated CML patients, and to PTGS2 showing that CML patients with high BCR::ABL1 expression showed reduced PTGS2 expression.

Indirubin, an Active Component of Indigo Naturalis, Exhibits Inhibitory Effects on Leukemia Cells via Targeting HSP90AA1 and PI3K/Akt Pathway

BACKGROUND

This research intended to predict the active ingredients and key target genes of Indigo Naturalis in treating human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) using network pharmacology and conduct the invitro verification.

METHODS

The active components of Indigo Naturalis and the corresponding targets and leukemia-associated genes were gathered through public databases. The core targets and pathways of Indigo Naturalis were predicted through protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, gene ontology (GO) function, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Next, after intersecting with leukemia-related genes, the direct core target gene of Indigo Naturalis active components was identified. Subsequently, HL-60 cells were stimulated with indirubin (IND) and then examined for cell proliferation using CCK-8 assay and cell cycle, cell apoptosis, and mitochondrial membrane potential using flow cytometry. The content of apoptosis-associated proteins (Cleaved Caspase 9, Cleaved Caspase 7, Cleaved Caspase 3, and Cleaved parp) were detected using Western blot, HSP90AA1 protein, and PI3K/Akt signaling (PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, and p-Akt) within HL-60 cells.

RESULTS

A total of 9 active components of Indigo Naturalis were screened. The top 10 core target genes (TNF, PTGS2, RELA, MAPK14, IFNG, PPARG, NOS2, IKBKB, HSP90AA1, and NOS3) of Indigo Naturalis active components within the PPI network were identified. According to the KEGG enrichment analysis, these targets were associated with leukemia-related pathways (such as acute myeloid leukemia and CML). After intersecting with leukemia-related genes, it was found that IND participated in the most pairs of target information and was at the core of the target network; HSP90AA1 was the direct core gene of IND. Furthermore, the in-vitro cell experiments verified that IND could inhibit the proliferation, elicit G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest, enhance the apoptosis of HL-60 cells, reduce mitochondrial membrane potential, and promote apoptosis-related protein levels. Under IND treatment, HSP90AA1 overexpression notably promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Additionally, IND exerted tumor suppressor effects on leukemia cells by inhibiting HSP90AA1 expression.

CONCLUSION

IND, an active component of Indigo Naturalis, could inhibit CML progression, which may be achieved via inhibiting HSP90AA1 and PI3K/Akt signaling expression levels.

Dysregulation of miRNA expression in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia at diagnosis: a systematic review

Aim: The present systematic review aimed to explore miRNAs as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Materials & methods: A systematic search was conducted in three electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed, to obtain relevant articles investigating the alteration of miRNA expression in patients with CML. Results: The authors found miRNAs whose expression changes are effective in the induction of CML disease. Among them, miR-21 and miR-155 were identified as the most common miRNAs with increased expression and miR-150 and miR-146 as the most common miRNAs with decreased expression. Conclusion: miRNAs can be used as an indicator for the early detection and treatment of CML phase.

H1Innovative approaches to combat anti-cancer drug resistance: Targeting lncRNA and autophagy

BACKGROUND

To date, standardizing clinical predictive biomarkers for assessing the response to immunotherapy remains challenging due to variations in personal genetic signatures, tumour microenvironment complexities and epigenetic onco-mechanisms.

MAIN BODY

Early monitoring of key non-coding RNA (ncRNA) biomarkers may help in predicting the clinical efficacy of cancer immunotherapy and come up with standard predictive ncRNA biomarkers. For instance, reduced miR-125b-5p level in the plasma of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with anti-PD-1 predicts a positive outcome. The level of miR-153 in the plasma of colorectal cancer patients treated with chimeric antigen receptor T lymphocyte (CAR-T) cell therapy may indicate the activation of T-cell killing activity. miR-148a-3p and miR-375 levels may forecast favourable responses to CAR-T-cell therapy in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. In cancer patients treated with the GPC3 peptide vaccine, serum levels of miR-1228-5p, miR-193a-5p and miR-375-3p were reported as predictive biomarkers of good response and improved overall survival. Therefore, there is a critical need for further studies to elaborate on the key ncRNA biomarkers that have the potential to predict early clinical responses to immunotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This review summarises important predictive ncRNA biomarkers that were reported in cancer patients treated with different immunotherapeutic modalities including monoclonal antibodies, small molecule inhibitors, cancer vaccines and CAR-T cells. In addition, a concise discussion on forthcoming perspectives is provided, outlining technical approaches for the optimal utilisation of immune-modulatory ncRNA biomarkers as predictive tools and therapeutic targets.

Long non-coding RNAs regulate treatment outcome in leukemia: What have we learnt recently?

Leukemia is a group of highly heterogeneous and life-threatening blood cancers that originate from abnormal hematopoietic stem cells. Multiple treatments are approved for leukemia, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Unfortunately, therapeutic resistance occurs in a substantial proportion of patients and greatly compromises the treatment efficacy of leukemia, resulting in relapse and mortality. The abnormal activity of receptor tyrosine kinases, cell membrane transporters, intracellular signal transducers, transcription factors, and anti-apoptotic proteins have been shown to contribute to the emergence of therapeutic resistance. Despite these findings, the exact mechanisms of treatment resistance are still not fully understood, which limits the development of effective measures to overcome it. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a class of regulatory molecules that are gaining increasing attention, and lncRNA-mediated regulation of therapeutic resistance against multiple drugs for leukemia is being revealed. These dysregulated lncRNAs not only serve as potential targets to reduce resistance but also might improve treatment response prediction and individualized treatment decision. Here, we summarize the recent findings on lncRNA-mediated regulation of therapeutic resistance in leukemia and discuss future perspectives on how to make use of the dysregulated lncRNAs in leukemia to improve treatment outcome.

Mutual interaction of lncRNAs and epigenetics: focusing on cancer

Long noncoding RNAs are characterized as noncoding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides in response to a variety of functions within the cells. They are involved in almost all cellular mechanisms so as epigenetics. Given that epigenetics is an important phenomenon, which participates in the biology of complex diseases, many valuable studies have been performed to demonstrate the control status of lncRNAs and epigenetics. DNA methylation and histone modifications as epigenetic mechanisms can regulate the expression of lncRNAs by affecting their coding genes. Reciprocally, the three-dimensional structure of lncRNAs could mechanistically control the activity of epigenetic-related enzymes. Dysregulation in the mutual interaction between epigenetics and lncRNAs is one of the hallmarks of cancer. These mechanisms are either directly or indirectly involved in various cancer properties such as proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis. For instance, lncRNA HOTAIR plays a role in regulating the expression of many genes by interacting with epigenetic factors such as DNA methyltransferases and EZH2, and thus plays a role in the initiation and progression of various cancers. Conversely, the expression of this lncRNA is also controlled by epigenetic factors. Therefore, focusing on this reciprocated interaction can apply to cancer management and the identification of prognostic, diagnostic, and druggable targets. In the current review, we discuss the reciprocal relationship between lncRNAs and epigenetic mechanisms to promote or prevent cancer progression and find new potent biomarkers and targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

The key role of microRNA-766 in the cancer development

Cancer is caused by defects in coding and non-coding RNAs. In addition, duplicated biological pathways diminish the efficacy of mono target cancer drugs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that regulate many target genes and play a crucial role in physiological processes such as cell division, differentiation, cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis, which are frequently disrupted in diseases such as cancer. MiR-766, one of the most adaptable and highly conserved microRNAs, is notably overexpressed in several diseases, including malignant tumors. Variations in miR-766 expression are linked to various pathological and physiological processes. Additionally, miR-766 promotes therapeutic resistance pathways in various types of tumors. Here, we present and discuss evidence implicating miR-766 in the development of cancer and treatment resistance. In addition, we discuss the potential applications of miR-766 as a therapeutic cancer target, diagnostic biomarker, and prognostic indicator. This may shed light on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for cancer therapy.

Non-Coding RNAs Are Implicit in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Therapy Resistance

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm initiated by the presence of the fusion gene BCR::ABL1. The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) highly specific to p210^BCR-ABL1, the constitutively active tyrosine kinase encoded by BCR::ABL1, has greatly improved the prognosis for CML patients. Now, the survival rate of CML nearly parallels that of age matched controls. However, therapy resistance remains a persistent problem in the pursuit of a cure. TKI resistance can be attributed to both BCR::ABL1 dependent and independent mechanisms. Recently, the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has been increasingly explored due to their frequent dysregulation in a variety of malignancies. Specifically, microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to contribute to the development and progression of therapy resistance in CML. Since each ncRNA exhibits multiple functions and is capable of controlling gene expression, they exert their effect on CML resistance through a diverse set of mechanisms and pathways. In most cases ncRNAs with tumor suppressing functions are silenced in CML, while those with oncogenic properties are overexpressed. Here, we discuss the relevance of many aberrantly expressed ncRNAs and their effect on therapy resistance in CML.

Knockdown of ADORA2A antisense RNA 1 inhibits cell proliferation and enhances imatinib sensitivity in chronic myeloid leukemia

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) exert important regulatory roles in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role and molecular mechanism of lncRNA ADORA2A antisense RNA 1 (ADORA2A-AS1) in CML. We found that the expression of ADORA2A-AS1 was upregulated in CML. Further, knockdown of ADORA2A-AS1 inhibited the proliferation, induced apoptosis, arrested cell cycle, and enhanced imatinib sensitivity in CML cells. Besides, ADORA2A-AS1 promoted the expression of transforming growth factor-beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1) and ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 2 (ABCC2) via sponging miR-665, thereby exerting a tumor-promoting activity. Collectively, our results confirmed the oncogenic effect of ADORA2A-AS1 in CML, indicating that ADORA2A-AS1 is a promosing therapeutic target for CML.

HOTAIR suppresses PTEN via DNMT3b and confers drug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia

OBJECTIVE

HOTAIR has been well reported to be involved in the drug resistance of many diseases. This study aims to explore the possible implication of HOTAIR in doxorubicin (ADM) resistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

METHODS

Expressions of HOTAIR and PTEN in bone marrows of patient with newly diagnosed AML and relapsed/refractory AML and of healthy controls were determined by RT-qPCR. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated after AML-ADM-sensitive cells HL60 and AML-ADM-resistant cells HL60/ADM cells were treated by ADM. The IC50 of HL60/ADM to ADM dosage was determined by CCK-8. After cells were transfected with Sh-HOTAIR, pcDNA3.1-HOTAIR or pcDNA3.1-PTEN, cell biology of HL60/ADM cells was detected by flow cytometry, clone formation assay. The methylation of PTEN was determined by Methylmion-specific PCR and Bisulfite Genomic Sequence.

RESULTS

Patient with relapsed/refractory AML had the highest HOTAIR and the lowest PTEN expression, followed by that in newly diagnosed AML patients and then healthy controls. After ADM treatment, cell viability and IC50 were enhanced in HL60/ADM cell when compared with HL60 cells. Up-regulated HOTAIR and down-regulated PTEN were found in HL60/ADM cells. Cell transfection with sh-HOTAIR or pcDNA3.1-PTEN leads to increased ADM sensitivity, apoptosis rate as well as decreased IC50 and cell clones, while those expression patterns can be reversed by co-transfection of pcDNA3.1-PTEN and pcDNA3.1-HOTAIR. Methylation was observed in the promoter of PTEN. HOTAIR can positively regulate DNMT3b.

CONCLUSION

HOTAIR suppresses PTEN through up-regulating DNMT3b-dependent way and confers ADM resistance in AML.

Small molecules with huge impacts: the role of miRNA-regulated PI3K pathway in human malignancies

Along with evolution, a considerable number of signaling cascades have evolved within cells to meet their multifaceted needs. Among transmitting molecules, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) have teamed up to build a signaling axis that effectively regulates various cellular processes including cell proliferation and migration. Given the extensive output of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling axis, its aberrancy could subsequently lead to the formation of a wide range of human cancers spanning from hematologic malignancies to different types of solid tumors. Despite the high frequency of the PI3K pathway over-activation in most malignancies, mutations in the DNA sequence are not equally common. Such incompatibility sheds light on the possible effects of post-translational modification mechanisms that may take control of this pathway, some of the most important ones of which are through microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs). The present review is designed to take off the veil from the regulatory role of these small non-coding RNAs on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling axis in carcinogenesis.

A Review on the Therapeutic Role of TKIs in Case of CML in Combination With Epigenetic Drugs

Chronic myeloid leukemia is a malignancy of bone marrow that affects white blood cells. There is strong evidence that disease progression, treatment responses, and overall clinical outcomes of CML patients are influenced by the accumulation of other genetic and epigenetic abnormalities, rather than only the BCR/ABL1 oncoprotein. Both genetic and epigenetic factors influence the efficacy of CML treatment strategies. Targeted medicines known as tyrosine-kinase inhibitors have dramatically improved long-term survival rates in CML patients during the previous 2 decades. When compared to earlier chemotherapy treatments, these drugs have revolutionized CML treatment and allowed most people to live longer lives. Although epigenetic inhibitors' activity is disrupted in many cancers, including CML, but when combined with TKI, they may offer potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of CML cells. The epigenetics of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and resistance to them is being studied, with a particular focus on imatinib, which is used to treat CML. In addition, the use of epigenetic drugs in conjunction with TKIs has been discussed. Resistance to TKIs is still a problem in curing the disease, necessitating the development of new therapies. This study focused on epigenetic pathways involved in CML pathogenesis and tumor cell resistance to TKIs, both of which contribute to leukemic clone breakout and proliferation.

The emerging roles of long non-coding RNAs in polyglutamine diseases

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are characterized by trinucleotide repeat amplifications within genes, thus resulting in the formation of polyQ peptides, selective neuronal degeneration and possibly death due to neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which exceed 200 nucleotides in length, have been shown to play important roles in several pathological processes of NDDs, including polyQ diseases. Some lncRNAs have been consistently identified to be specific to polyQ diseases, and circulating lncRNAs are among the most promising novel candidates in the search for non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of polyQ diseases. In this review, we describe the emerging roles of lncRNAs in polyQ diseases and provide an overview of the general biology of lncRNAs, their implications in pathophysiology and their potential roles as future biomarkers and applications for therapy.

m(6)A Modification of lncRNA NEAT1 Regulates Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia Progression via miR-766-5p/CDKN1A Axis

Background

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is an acquired hematopoietic stem malignant disease originating from the myeloid system. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely explored in cancer tumorigenesis. However, their roles in CML remain largely unclear.

Methods

The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and CML cell lines (K562, KCL22, MEG01, BV173) were collected for in vitro research. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the mRNA expression levels. Cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed by cell counting kit 8 and flow cytometry assays. The targeting relationships were predicted using Starbase and TargetScan and ulteriorly verified by RNA pull-down and luciferase reporter assays. Western blotting assay was performed to assess the protein expressions. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification sites were predicted by SRAMP and confirmed by Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) assay.

Results

LncRNA nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) expression levels were decreased in the CML cell lines and PBMCs of CML patients. Moreover, METTL3-mediated m6A modification induced the aberrant expression of NEAT1 in CML. Overexpression of NEAT1 inhibited cell viability and promoted the apoptosis of CML cells. Additionally, miR-766-5p was upregulated in CML PBMCs and abrogated the effects of NEAT1 on cell viability and apoptosis of the CML cells. Further, CDKN1A was proved to be the target gene of miR-766-5p and was downregulated in the CML PBMCs. Knockdown of CDKN1A reversed the effects of NEAT1.

Conclusion

The current research elucidates a novel METTL3/NEAT1/miR-766-5p/CDKN1A axis which plays a critical role in the progression of CML.

Depleting long noncoding RNA HOTAIR attenuates chronic myelocytic leukemia progression by binding to DNA methyltransferase 1 and inhibiting PTEN gene promoter methylation

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to play a key role in chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) development, and we aimed to identify the involvement of the lncRNA HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) in CML via binding to DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) to accelerate methylation of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene promoter. Bone marrow samples from CML patients and normal bone marrow samples from healthy controls were collected. HOTAIR, DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and PTEN expression was detected. The biological characteristics of CML cells were detected. The relationship among HOTAIR, DNMT1, and PTEN was verified. Tumor volume and weight in mice injected with CML cells were tested. We found that HOTAIR and DNMT1 expression was increased and PTEN expression was decreased in CML. We also investigated whether downregulated HOTAIR or DNMT1 reduced proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration and increased the apoptosis rate of CML cells. Moreover, we tested whether low expression of HOTAIR or DNMT1 reduced the volume and weight of tumors in mice with CML. Collectively, the results of this studied showed that depleted HOTAIR demonstrated reduced binding to DNMT1 to suppress CML progression, which may be related to methylation of the PTEN promoter.

The HOTAIR lncRNA: A remarkable oncogenic promoter in human cancer metastasis

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a new type of non-coding RNA that has an important regulatory influence on several human diseases, including cancer metastasis. HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a newly discovered lncRNA, has an important effect on tumour proliferation, migration and metastasis. HOTAIR regulates cell proliferation, changes gene expression, and promotes tumour cell invasion and migration. However, its molecular mechanism of action remains unknown. The present review summarizes the molecular mechanism and role of HOTAIR in tumour invasion and metastasis, discusses the association between HOTAIR and tumour metastasis through different pathways, such as the transforming growth factor β, Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT/MAPK and vascular endothelial growth factor pathways, emphasizes the function of HOTAIR in human malignant tumour metastasis and provides a foundation for its application in the diagnosis, prognosis and medical treatment of various tumours.

The negative feedback between miR-143 and DNMT3A regulates cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer

Emerging evidence suggests that miR-143 plays an important role in the regulation of tumor sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. The study explores the underlying mechanism of miR-143 in reversing cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer. The cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell line A2780/CDDP was induced and established via treating A2780 cells by gradually increasing cisplatin concentrations. The IC50 values of A2780/CDDP and A2780 to cisplatin were 218.10 ± 1.12 and 21.99 ± 1.12 μM, respectively. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that miR-143 was significantly decreased in A2780/CDDP cells compared with A2780 cells. miR-143 overexpression decreased cisplatin resistance in A2780/CDDP, and miR-143 inhibition decreased A2780 sensitivity to cisplatin. Results of qRT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and luciferase reporter assay indicated that the direct target of miR-143 was DNMT3A, which, in turn, was upregulated in A2780/CDDP. DNMT3A overexpression antagonized the sensitizing effect of miR-143 on A2780/CDDP to cisplatin. Knocking down of DNMT3A reduced cisplatin resistance in A2780/CDDP, while overexpression of DNMT3A increased cisplatin resistance in A2780. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction results showed that the methylation level in the promoter region of the miR-143 precursor gene was higher in A2780/CDDP cells than in A2780 cells. DNMT3A mediated the hypermethylation of the miR-143 precursor gene, resulting in miR-143 downregulation in A2780/CDDP. miR-143 inhibited cell growth of A2780/CDDP cell in nude mice. Our findings indicated the negative feedback between miR-143 and DNMT3A as a crucial epigenetic modifier of cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.

Long Non-Coding RNA in the Pathogenesis of Cancers

The incidence and mortality rate of cancer has been quickly increasing in the past decades. At present, cancer has become the leading cause of death worldwide. Most of the cancers cannot be effectively diagnosed at the early stage. Although there are multiple therapeutic treatments, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drugs, their effectiveness is still limited. The overall survival rate of malignant cancers is still low. It is necessary to further study the mechanisms for malignant cancers, and explore new biomarkers and targets that are more sensitive and effective for early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cancers than traditional biomarkers and methods. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNA transcripts with a length greater than 200 nucleotides. Generally, lncRNAs are not capable of encoding proteins or peptides. LncRNAs exert diverse biological functions by regulating gene expressions and functions at transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels. In the past decade, it has been demonstrated that the dysregulated lncRNA profile is widely involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. In particular, lncRNAs have been revealed to play an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Many lncRNAs have been shown to be potential biomarkers and targets for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. This review aims to briefly discuss the latest findings regarding the roles and mechanisms of some important lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of certain malignant cancers, including lung, breast, liver, and colorectal cancers, as well as hematological malignancies and neuroblastoma.

Targeting PI3K in cancer: mechanisms and advances in clinical trials

Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is one of the most important intracellular pathways, which can be considered as a master regulator for cancer. Enormous efforts have been dedicated to the development of drugs targeting PI3K signaling, many of which are currently employed in clinical trials evaluation, and it is becoming increasingly clear that PI3K inhibitors are effective in inhibiting tumor progression. PI3K inhibitors are subdivided into dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, pan-PI3K inhibitors and isoform-specific inhibitors. In this review, we performed a critical review to summarize the role of the PI3K pathway in tumor development, recent PI3K inhibitors development based on clinical trials, and the mechanisms of resistance to PI3K inhibition.