Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Oncogenomic and Epigenetic Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
Front Immunol. 2022 Apr 22;13:867181. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.867181. eCollection 2022.
Thymic Epithelial Tumors (TETs) arise from epithelial cells of the thymus and are very rare neoplasms comprising Thymoma, Thymic carcinoma, and Thymic Neuroendocrine tumors that still require in-depth molecular characterization. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as relevant gene expression modulators involved in the deregulation of several networks in almost all types of human cancer, including TETs. LncRNAs act at different control levels in the regulation of gene expression, from transcription to translation, and modulate several pathways relevant to cell fate determination under normal and pathological conditions. The activity of lncRNAs is strongly dependent on their expression, localization, and post-transcriptional modifications. Starting from our recently published studies, this review focuses on the involvement of lncRNAs in the acquisition of malignant traits by neoplastic thymic epithelial cells, and describes the possible use of these molecules as targets for the design of novel therapeutic approaches specific for TET. Furthermore, the involvement of lncRNAs in myasthenia gravis (MG)-related thymoma, which is still under investigation, is discussed.
胸腺上皮肿瘤（TETs）起源于胸腺上皮细胞，是非常罕见的肿瘤，包括胸腺瘤、胸腺癌和胸内神经内分泌肿瘤，这些肿瘤仍需要深入的分子特征分析。长链非编码 RNA（lncRNA）作为相关基因表达调节剂而出现，参与了几乎所有类型人类癌症中多个网络的失调，包括 TETs。lncRNA 在基因表达的调控中在不同的控制水平上起作用，从转录到翻译，并在正常和病理条件下调节与细胞命运决定相关的几个途径。lncRNA 的活性强烈依赖于它们的表达、定位和转录后修饰。从我们最近发表的研究开始，本综述重点关注 lncRNA 参与肿瘤性胸腺上皮细胞获得恶性特征的情况，并描述了这些分子作为设计针对 TET 的新型治疗方法的靶点的可能用途。此外，还讨论了 lncRNA 在重症肌无力（MG）相关胸腺瘤中的作用，目前仍在研究中。
