Non-coding RNA in Cancer

Dear Colleagues,

Next-generation RNA sequencing of whole genomes and transcriptomes has revealed that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) constitute most of the transcriptome.

Two classes of ncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have been extensively studied and shown to regulate gene expression and thus control cellular processes such as cell proliferation, motility, and apoptosis. Aberrant expression of miRNAs and lncRNAs has been found in cancer cells and shown to play pivotal roles in cancer. miRNAs bind mainly to the 3’UTR region of target mRNA and suppress target gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, while lncRNAs regulate gene expression by diverse mechanisms such as chromatin, protein, and mRNA interactions.

Accumulating evidence indicates that miRNAs and lncRNAs interact and regulate each other through biding sites. This cross-regulation has also been shown to regulate gene expression and tumorigenesis. In competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms, lncRNAs sponge miRNAs, suppressing their regulatory effects on mRNAs.

Other ncRNA species such as small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), and vault RNAs (vtRNAs), have also been implicated in regulating gene expression. piRNAs which derive from snoRNAs function in similar ways to miRNAs. vtRNAs have been shown to induce drug resistance in cancer cells and recently shown to suppress autophagy.

This Special Issue aims to cover recent advances in any ncRNA cancer studies, such as functions, mechanism of action, mode of interaction, and clinical studies. We invite contributions in the form of original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Soichiro Yamamura
Guest Editor

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