Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
10.0
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2766

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Amit K. Mitra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug Discovery and Development, Harrison College of Pharmacy, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
Interests: pharmacogenomics; translational research; single-cell genomics/transcriptomics/proteomics; next-generation (DNA/exome/whole-genome/RNA) sequencing; SNP arrays and microarrays; functional genomics/ cell and molecular biology; bioinformatics and computational biology; population genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including small non-coding RNAs like microRNAs (miRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), play crucial roles in cancer development, cancer progression, and drug resistance. NcRNAs are known to act as both oncogenes and tumor suppressors and are therefore being explored as promising candidates for cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

In this Special Issue on 'Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer', we invite submissions that explore the roles of ncRNAs in cancer biology, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, and the development of targeted anti-cancer therapies.

Dr. Amit K. Mitra
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lncRNA
  • miRNA
  • cancer
  • genomics
  • targeted therapy
  • biomarkers
  • drug resistance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 948 KB  
Article
Urinary miRNA Analysis for Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: miR-20a as a Key Endogenous Normalizer
by Giovanni Cochetti, Giacomo Vannuccini, Matteo Mearini, Alessio Paladini, Francesca Cocci, Raffaele La Mura, Daniele Mirra, Giuseppe Giardino and Ettore Mearini
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(7), 3323; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073323 - 7 Apr 2026
Viewed by 609
Abstract
Urinary microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising noninvasive biomarkers for cancer detection, but their clinical utility is reduced by inconsistent normalization strategies, reducing reproducibility and comparability across studies. In this study, we assessed the stability of miR-20a as an endogenous normalizer for urinary miRNA profiling [...] Read more.
Urinary microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising noninvasive biomarkers for cancer detection, but their clinical utility is reduced by inconsistent normalization strategies, reducing reproducibility and comparability across studies. In this study, we assessed the stability of miR-20a as an endogenous normalizer for urinary miRNA profiling in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) while standardizing the pre-analytical phase using a urine stabilizing solution. Ninety-nine urine samples were analyzed: 47 from healthy individuals, 30 from ccRCC patients pre-surgery, and 22 post-operative patients. Six candidate miRNAs—miR-20a, miR-15b, miR-16, miR-15a, miR-210-3p, and miR-let-7b—were quantified via RT-qPCR. Stability analysis with RefFinder, integrating multiple algorithms (geNorm, normFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt methods), identified miR-20a as the most stable among the six candidates. Raw Ct values of miR-20a were normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk test, p > 0.05), with no significant intergroup differences (one-way ANOVA, F(2.96) = 2.324, p = 0.103) and minimal intragroup variability (CV% 4.98–6.38). MiR-20a expression remained stable across different tumor staging, grading, and urine storage durations. These findings confirm miR-20a as a robust endogenous normalizer for urinary miRNA analyses and support the feasibility of developing reproducible urinary liquid biopsy workflows for ccRCC, even in settings where immediate sample processing is not feasible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 7943 KB  
Article
Clofazimine Treatment Modulates Key Non-Coding RNAs Associated with Tumor Progression and Drug Resistance in Lethal Prostate Cancer
by Sarah Batten, Harish Kumar, Jeremiah Pfitzer, Daniel Chinedu Nweze, Suman Mazumder, Robert D. Arnold, Panagiotis Mistriotis, Taraswi Mitra Ghosh and Amit Kumar Mitra
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 10892; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210892 - 10 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1689
Abstract
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer/PCa (mCRPC) is a clinically advanced form of PCa that is associated with increased aggressiveness, cancer stemness, morbidity, and the risk of developing resistance to taxanes, currently the first-line chemotherapy for mCRPC. Clofazimine (CLF) is a potential immunomodulator drug that [...] Read more.
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer/PCa (mCRPC) is a clinically advanced form of PCa that is associated with increased aggressiveness, cancer stemness, morbidity, and the risk of developing resistance to taxanes, currently the first-line chemotherapy for mCRPC. Clofazimine (CLF) is a potential immunomodulator drug that is FDA-approved for the treatment of leprosy. Recently, using in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models, we established the efficacy of CLF in chronic myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma. Here, we demonstrate that CLF is effective as a single agent and in combination with taxanes in a panel of cell lines representing the diversity of CRPC patients. Using a microfluidic assay, we showed the impact of CLF on cancer cell migration and metastatic potential. Further, we also found that CLF reduces ALDH activity—a marker for cancer ‘stem-like’ cells (CSCs), a subtype of cancer cells with self-renewal and differentiation capacities (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation/EMT). Bulk and single-cell RNAseq followed by functional validation and in silico analysis showed that CLF treatment is associated with apoptosis, ER stress, oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Most importantly, CLF modulates the expression of several non-coding RNAs, including MALAT1 and NEAT1, that are linked to tumor cell proliferation, cell migration, and drug resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop