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Cai A, Hu Y, Zhou Z, Qi Q, Wu Y, Dong P, Chen L, Wang F. PIWI-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs): Promising Applications as Emerging Biomarkers for Digestive System Cancer. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:848105. [PMID: 35155584 PMCID: PMC8829394 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.848105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a novel type of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), which are 26–31 nucleotides in length and bind to PIWI proteins. Although piRNAs were originally discovered in germline cells and are thought to be essential regulators for germline preservation, they can also influence gene expression in somatic cells. An increasing amount of data has shown that the dysregulation of piRNAs can both promote and repress the emergence and progression of human cancers through DNA methylation, transcriptional silencing, mRNA turnover, and translational control. Digestive cancers are currently a major cause of cancer deaths worldwide. piRNAs control the expression of essential genes and pathways associated with digestive cancer progression and have been reported as possible biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of digestive cancer. Here, we highlight recent advances in understanding the involvement of piRNAs, as well as potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of piRNAs in various digestive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiting Cai
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Yuhao Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Zhou Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Qianyi Qi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Yixuan Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Peixin Dong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Peixin Dong, ; Lin Chen, ; Feng Wang,
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Laboratory Medicine, Nantong Third Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Nantong, China
- *Correspondence: Peixin Dong, ; Lin Chen, ; Feng Wang,
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
- *Correspondence: Peixin Dong, ; Lin Chen, ; Feng Wang,
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