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Advances in Non-Coding RNAs as Prognostic Biomarkers, Therapeutic Targets, and...
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Advances in Non-Coding RNAs as Prognostic Biomarkers, Therapeutic Targets, and Regulatory Mechanisms in Cancer

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Biopharmaceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 2842

Editors

Dr. Pablo Pérez-Moreno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Programa de Comunicación Celular en Cáncer, Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
Interests: non-coding RNAs in cancer; long non-coding RNAs in cancer; prognostic biomarkers in cancer; treatment targets in cancer; molecular mechanisms of long non-coding RNAs in cancer; cancer stem cell phenotype
Dr. Juan Pablo Muñoz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
Interests: estrogen receptor; hormone-related cancer; ER-alpha; oncogenic pathways; non-coding RNAs in cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this Special Issue of Pharmaceuticals, titled "Advances in Non-Coding RNAs as Prognostic Biomarkers, Therapeutic Targets, and Regulatory Mechanisms in Cancer". This collection aims to highlight recent progress and emerging concepts in the rapidly expanding field of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), with a particular focus on their roles in cancer biology and their potential clinical applications.

In recent years, the scientific community has uncovered the vast complexity and functional significance of ncRNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). These molecules have been shown to influence critical processes such as tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, therapy resistance, and immune regulation. As a result, ncRNAs are gaining increasing attention as both biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis, and as promising therapeutic targets.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews addressing the multifaceted roles of ncRNAs in cancer. Topics of interest include molecular mechanisms of action, functional characterization, clinical correlations, biomarker discovery, and ncRNA-based therapeutic strategies.

We hope this Special Issue will contribute to a better understanding of how ncRNAs participate in cancer behavior and how they can be harnessed in precision medicine. We look forward to receiving your contributions and to showcasing the latest advances in this dynamic and promising area of cancer research.

Dr. Pablo Pérez-Moreno
Dr. Juan Pablo Muñoz
Guest Editors

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • non-coding RNAs
  • non-coding RNAs as prognostic biomarkers in cancer
  • non-coding RNAs as treatment targets in cancer
  • non-coding RNAs as diagnostic targets in cancer
  • molecular mechanisms on non-coding RNAs in cancer

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3622 KB  
Article
LINC01770 Is Associated with Stem-like Features and Aggressive Traits in Breast Cancer Cells Through a Putative miR-335-5p/OCT4 Axis
by Javier Gasson, Antonia Böhmwald, Juan P. Muñoz, Mauricio A. Retamal and Pablo Pérez-Moreno
Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(7), 1039; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph19071039 - 3 Jul 2026
Viewed by 532
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory transcripts that contribute to diverse cellular processes and are increasingly recognized for their involvement in human diseases including cancer. In this context, long intergenic non-protein-coding RNA 1770 (LINC01770), also known as RRFERV, has been involved in [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory transcripts that contribute to diverse cellular processes and are increasingly recognized for their involvement in human diseases including cancer. In this context, long intergenic non-protein-coding RNA 1770 (LINC01770), also known as RRFERV, has been involved in nasopharyngeal cancer progression. However, its role in breast cancer (BC) remains unexplored. Here, we propose that LINC01770 plays a pivotal role in the development of aggressiveness traits such as invasion, migration, stemness, and tumorigenesis in BC cells. Methods: The LINC01770 overexpression was performed in BC cells using lentiviral transduction. Stemness and epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers, CD133+/44+ populations, cell migration, cell invasion, tumorigenesis in vitro, and chemoresistance were subsequently assessed via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), flow cytometry, Boyden chambers, soft agar, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assays, respectively. LINC01770 expression in BC tissues and mechanistic analyses were performed in silico. Results: LINC01770 promotes cell migration and invasion accompanied by increased expression of EMT-associated genes. Moreover, elevated LINC01770 levels lead to an expansion of CD133+/CD44+ cell populations and upregulation of stemness-related genes as well as increase tumorigenic capacity in vitro. In contrast, no significant effects on drug resistance were observed. Finally, bioinformatic analyses suggest a putative LINC01770/miR-335-5p/OCT4 regulatory axis, consistent with the observed increase in OCT4 expression after LINC01770 overexpression. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that LINC01770 drives BC progression by promoting migration, invasion, and stemness features via the miR-335-5p/OCT4 axis. To our knowledge, this is the first study identifying LINC01770 as a potential therapeutic target in BC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Non-Coding RNAs as Prognostic Biomarkers, Therapeutic Targets, and Regulatory Mechanisms in Cancer)
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25 pages, 5685 KB  
Article
From Single-Cell and Bulk Transcriptomic Integration to Functional Verification: Triaptosis-Associated lncRNA Signature Predicts Survival and Guides Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
by Xiaolong Liu, Ziyun Zhuang, Jiaxi Cheng, Yujie Li, Duguang Li, Zhaoqi Shi, Jing Yang, Xiaoxiao Fan and Hui Lin
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(11), 1691; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18111691 - 7 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1660
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to be a major cause of cancer associated deaths worldwide, highlighting the need for new prognostic biomarkers and treatment strategies. Triaptosis, a recently characterized mode of regulated cell death, has shown potential as a therapeutic target in various [...] Read more.
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to be a major cause of cancer associated deaths worldwide, highlighting the need for new prognostic biomarkers and treatment strategies. Triaptosis, a recently characterized mode of regulated cell death, has shown potential as a therapeutic target in various malignancies, including HCC. Nevertheless, how long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate triaptosis, as well as their function in HCC, is still not well understood. Methods: This study integrates bioinformatics and functional validation to delineate the interplay between lncRNAs and triaptosis in HCC progression. Results: Firstly, we confirm that pharmacologically inducing triaptosis, a process centrally mediated by ROS accumulation, with menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB) can inhibit HCC growth both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing identifies a specific elevation of the triaptosis-related gene MTM1 in malignant hepatocytes. Through systematic bioinformatics analysis of TCGA data, we develop a 5-lncRNA prognostic signature (LINC01134, HPN-AS1, DDX11-AS1, AC009283.1, AC009005.1) with superior predictive power over conventional clinical parameters. Strikingly, functional studies reveal that LINC01134 acts as a crucial oncogenic driver and its depletion suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion while sensitizing cells to triaptosis via MTM1-mediated PI(3)P catabolism. Conclusions: Collectively, our study confirms that triaptosis is a therapeutically targetable signaling in HCC and proposes LINC01134 as a biomarker and therapeutic target, offering new insights into lncRNA-mediated regulation of cell death for precision oncology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Non-Coding RNAs as Prognostic Biomarkers, Therapeutic Targets, and Regulatory Mechanisms in Cancer)
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