Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050095 Bucharest, Romania.
Immunology Department, "Victor Babes" National Institute of Pathology, 050096 Bucharest, Romania.
Genes (Basel). 2019 Jan 16;10(1):52. doi: 10.3390/genes10010052.
In contrast to the amazing exponential growth in knowledge related to long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) involved in cell homeostasis or dysregulated pathological states, little is known so far about the links between the chemical modifications occurring in lncRNAs and their function. Generally, ncRNAs are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, but RNA modifications occurring in lncRNAs generate an additional layer of gene expression control. Chemical modifications that have been reported in correlation with lncRNAs include m⁶A, m⁵C and pseudouridylation. Up to date, several chemically modified long non-coding transcripts have been identified and associated with different pathologies, including cancers. This review presents the current level of knowledge on the most studied cancer-related lncRNAs, such as the metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), the Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), or the X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), as well as more recently discovered forms, and their potential roles in different types of cancer. Understanding how these RNA modifications occur, and the correlation between lncRNA changes in structure and function, may open up new therapeutic possibilities in cancer.
与涉及细胞内稳态或失调病理状态的长非编码 RNA（lncRNA）相关的知识呈惊人的指数增长形成对比，目前人们对 lncRNA 中发生的化学修饰与其功能之间的联系知之甚少。一般来说，ncRNA 是基因表达的转录后调节剂，但发生在 lncRNA 中的 RNA 修饰会产生额外的基因表达控制层。与 lncRNA 相关的已报道的化学修饰包括 m⁶A、m⁵C 和假尿嘧啶化。迄今为止，已经鉴定出几种化学修饰的长非编码转录本，并与包括癌症在内的不同疾病相关。本文综述了目前关于研究最多的与癌症相关的 lncRNA 的认识水平，例如转移相关肺腺癌转录物 1（MALAT1）、同源盒转录反义基因间 RNA（HOTAIR）或 X 染色体失活特异性转录物（XIST），以及最近发现的形式，以及它们在不同类型癌症中的潜在作用。了解这些 RNA 修饰如何发生，以及 lncRNA 在结构和功能上的变化之间的相关性，可能为癌症开辟新的治疗可能性。
