Dianatpour Ali, Ghafouri-Fard Soudeh
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. Email:
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2017 Oct 26;18(10):2601-2610. doi: 10.22034/APJCP.2017.18.10.2601.
Background: Numerous similarities have been noted between gametogenic and tumorigenic programs in features such as global hypomethylation, immune evasion, immortalization, meiosis induction, and migration. In addition, aberrant expression of testis specific genes has been detected in various cancers which has led to categorization of these genes as “cancer-testis genes”. Most of the examples identified in this category are protein encoding. However, recent studies have revealed that non-coding RNAs, including long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs), may have essential regulatory roles in telomere biology, chromatin dynamics, modulation of gene expression and genome structural organization. All of these functions are implicated in both gametogenic and tumorigenic programs. Methods: In the present study, we conducted a computerized search of the MEDLINE/PUBMED and Embase databases with the key words lncRNA, gametogenesis, testis and cancer. Results: We found a number of lncRNAs with essential roles and notable expression in both gametogenic and cancer tissues. Conclusions: Comparison between cancer tissues and gametogenic tissues has shown that numerous lncRNAs are expressed in both, playing similar roles in processes modulated by signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/AKT/mTOR. Evaluation of expression patterns and functions of these genes should pave the way to discovery of biomarkers for early detection, prognostic assessment and evaluation of therapeutic responses in cancers.
配子发生程序与肿瘤发生程序之间存在许多相似之处，如全基因组低甲基化、免疫逃逸、永生化、减数分裂诱导和迁移等特征。此外，在各种癌症中检测到睾丸特异性基因的异常表达，这导致这些基因被归类为“癌-睾丸基因”。这类中鉴定出的大多数例子都是蛋白质编码基因。然而，最近的研究表明，包括长链非编码RNA（lncRNA）在内的非编码RNA可能在端粒生物学、染色质动力学、基因表达调控和基因组结构组织中具有重要的调节作用。所有这些功能都与配子发生程序和肿瘤发生程序有关。方法：在本研究中，我们使用关键词lncRNA、配子发生、睾丸和癌症对MEDLINE/PUBMED和Embase数据库进行了计算机检索。结果：我们发现了一些在配子发生组织和癌组织中具有重要作用且表达显著的lncRNA。结论：癌组织与配子发生组织的比较表明，许多lncRNA在两者中均有表达，在Wnt/β-连环蛋白和PI3K/AKT/mTOR等信号通路调节的过程中发挥相似作用。对这些基因表达模式和功能的评估应为发现癌症早期检测、预后评估和治疗反应评估的生物标志物铺平道路。
