Long noncoding RNAs in head and neck cancer

Abstract

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) include a series of malignant tumors arising in epithelial tissues, typically oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, nasopharynx cancer and thyroid cancer. HNCs are important contributors to cancer incidence and mortality, leading to approximately 225,100 new patients and 77,500 deaths in China every year. Determination of the mechanisms of HNC carcinogenesis and progression is an urgent priority in HNC treatment. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are noncoding RNAs longer than 200 bps. lncRNAs have been reported to participate in a broad scope of biological processes, and lncRNA dysregulation leads to diverse human diseases, including cancer. In this review, we focus on lncRNAs that are dysregulated in HNCs, summarize the latest findings regarding the function and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in HNC carcinogenesis and progression, and discuss the clinical application of lncRNAs in HNC diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.

LncRNA XIST promotes the progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma via sponging miR-125b-5p to modulate TRIB2

“…The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified as key cis-or trans-regulators of gene expression with the length exceeding 200 nucleotides and participated in pathological process of human carcinoma including LSCC [5,6]. X inactivate-specific transcript (XIST), a novel X inactivation center (XIC)-located…”

Long noncoding RNA MEG3 decreases the growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by regulating the expression of miR‐421 and E‐cadherin

“…LncRNA is a heterogeneous group of ncRNAs, more than 200 nucleotides long, without protein coding ability, and earlier, it has been considered as a kind of transcriptional noise. Recent studies indicated that it was linked to all six hallmarks of cancer including activating invasion, evading growth suppressors, resisting apoptosis, continuous growth‐promoting signaling, enabling continuous proliferation even at limited nutrient conditions, and metastasis and inducing angiogenesis 5. LncRNA can regulate the occurrence and development of cancer through a variety of mechanisms.…”

“…miRNA is a subclass of small ncRNAs with 21‐25 nucleotide long. Many studies have suggested the critical role of lncRNA in the cancerogenic process and its potential role as a biomarker in cancer 5‐7 . Long noncoding RNA MEG3 (lncRNA MEG3 ) has been reported to function as a cancer suppressor gene in a variety of solid cancers 8‐16 .…”

TUSC7: A novel tumor suppressor long non‐coding RNA in human cancers

“…Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules with a length greater than 200 nucleotides and with no evident protein‐coding abilities (Adams, Parsons, Walker, Zhang, & Slack, ; Kapranov et al, ; Wang et al, ). In recent years, increasing evidences have shown that lncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in a variety of diseases, including cancer (Bartonicek, Maag, & Dinger, ; Bian, Shi, Shao, Li, & Song, ; Li, Shen, Chan, & Wu, ; Li, Cao, Gong, & Li, ; Zhuo & Kang, ). These RNAs regulate gene expression through multiple approaches at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and epigenetic levels, such as by recruiting transcription factors or directly binding to proteins, RNA, and DNA (Bergmann & Spector, ; Chen, ; Johnson, ).…”