Basic Medicine School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China; Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Anhui, 230038, China.
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Laboratory of Pulmonary Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
Cancer Lett. 2021 Mar 1;500:244-252. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.11.010. Epub 2020 Nov 23.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of tumor cells critical for tumor development. Their unique abilities, such as self-renewal, have resulted in tumor resistance to various cancer treatments, including traditional chemotherapy and latest immunotherapy. CSCs-targeting therapy is a promising treatment to overcome the therapeutic resistances to different tumors. However, despite their significance, the regulatory mechanism generating therapy-resistant CSCs is still obscure. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators in various biological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. Recent studies have revealed that lncRNAs play an important role in the therapeutic resistance of CSCs. Here we summarize the latest studies on the regulatory role of lncRNAs in sustaining the stemness of CSCs, and discuss the associated mechanisms behind these behavior changes in CSCs-related chemo- and immune-resistance. Future research implications are also discussed, shedding light on the potential CSCs-targeted strategies to break through the resistance of current therapies.
癌症干细胞（CSCs）是肿瘤细胞中的一个小亚群，对于肿瘤的发展至关重要。它们独特的自我更新能力导致肿瘤对各种癌症治疗方法产生抵抗，包括传统的化疗和最新的免疫疗法。靶向 CSCs 的治疗是一种有前途的治疗方法，可以克服不同肿瘤的治疗抵抗。然而，尽管它们意义重大，但产生治疗抵抗的 CSCs 的调节机制仍不清楚。长链非编码 RNA（lncRNA）是细胞增殖、凋亡、迁移和侵袭等各种生物学过程的关键调节剂。最近的研究表明，lncRNA 在 CSCs 的治疗抵抗中发挥着重要作用。在这里，我们总结了 lncRNA 维持 CSCs 干性的最新研究，并讨论了这些行为变化在 CSCs 相关化疗和免疫抵抗背后的相关机制。还讨论了未来的研究意义，为突破当前治疗方法的抵抗提供了潜在的 CSCs 靶向策略的思路。
