Zhang Bo, Pan Yanru, Li Zhe, Hu Kefeng
Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315010, China.
Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
J Transl Med. 2025 Jan 13;23(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s12967-025-06109-x.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with an increasing shift towards younger age of onset. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the significance of tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), encompassing tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA halves (tiRNAs). Their involvement in regulating translation, gene expression, reverse transcription, and epigenetics has gradually come to light. Emerging research has revealed dysregulation of tsRNAs in CRC, implicating their role in CRC initiation and progression, and highlighting their potential in early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies. Although the clinical application of tsRNAs is still in its early stages, recent findings highlight a close relationship between the biogenesis and function of tsRNAs, tRNA chemical modifications, and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Additionally, similar to other small RNAs, tsRNAs can be effectively delivered via nanoparticles (NPs). Consequently, future research should focus on elucidating the clinical significance of tsRNAs concerning base modifications, TIME regulation, cancer immunotherapy, and NPs delivery systems to facilitate their clinical translation.
结直肠癌（CRC）是全球第三大常见恶性肿瘤，也是癌症相关死亡的第二大主要原因，且发病年龄有越来越年轻化的趋势。近年来，人们越来越认识到tRNA衍生的小RNA（tsRNAs）的重要性，包括tRNA衍生片段（tRFs）和tRNA半体（tiRNAs）。它们在调节翻译、基因表达、逆转录和表观遗传学方面的作用逐渐显现出来。新兴研究表明，CRC中tsRNAs存在失调，这暗示了它们在CRC发生和发展中的作用，并突出了它们在早期诊断、预后和治疗策略方面的潜力。尽管tsRNAs的临床应用仍处于早期阶段，但最近的研究结果突出了tsRNAs的生物发生与功能、tRNA化学修饰以及肿瘤免疫微环境（TIME）之间的密切关系。此外，与其他小RNA类似，tsRNAs可以通过纳米颗粒（NPs）有效递送。因此，未来的研究应集中于阐明tsRNAs在碱基修饰、TIME调节、癌症免疫治疗和NPs递送系统方面的临床意义，以促进它们的临床转化。
