Oliveira Jaqueline Carvalho de
Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Genet Mol Biol. 2023 Jan 9;46(1 Suppl 2):e20220125. doi: 10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2022-0125. eCollection 2023.
The ultraconserved regions (UCRs) are 481 genomic elements, longer than 200 bp, 100% conserved in human, mouse, and rat genomes. Usually, coding regions are more conserved, but more than 80% of UCRs are either intergenic or intronic, and many of them produce long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Recently, the deregulated expression of transcribed UCRs (T-UCRs) has been associated with pathological conditions. But, differently from many lncRNAs with recognized crucial effects on malignant cell processes, the role of T-UCRs in the control of cancer cell networks is understudied. Furthermore, the potential utility of these molecules as molecular markers is not clear. Based on this information, the present review aims to organize information about T-UCRs with either oncogenic or tumor suppressor role associated with cancer cell signaling, and better describe T-UCRs with potential utility as prognosis markers. Out of 481 T-UCRs, 297 present differential expression in cancer samples, 23 molecules are associated with tumorigenesis processes, and 12 have more clear potential utility as prognosis markers. In conclusion, T-UCRs are deregulated in several tumor types, highlighted as important molecules in cancer networks, and with potential utility as prognosis markers, although further investigation for translational medicine is still needed.
超保守区域（UCRs）是481个基因组元件，长度超过200bp，在人类、小鼠和大鼠基因组中100%保守。通常，编码区域的保守性更高，但超过80%的UCRs位于基因间或内含子区域，其中许多会产生长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）。最近，转录的UCRs（T-UCRs）表达失调与病理状况有关。但是，与许多对恶性细胞过程具有公认关键作用的lncRNAs不同，T-UCRs在癌细胞网络调控中的作用尚未得到充分研究。此外，这些分子作为分子标志物的潜在用途尚不清楚。基于这些信息，本综述旨在整理有关与癌细胞信号传导相关的具有致癌或抑癌作用的T-UCRs的信息，并更好地描述具有作为预后标志物潜在用途的T-UCRs。在481个T-UCRs中，297个在癌症样本中存在差异表达，23个分子与肿瘤发生过程相关，12个具有更明确的作为预后标志物的潜在用途。总之，T-UCRs在几种肿瘤类型中表达失调，被视为癌症网络中的重要分子，并且具有作为预后标志物的潜在用途，尽管仍需要进一步开展转化医学研究。
