Yang Lulu, Wang Boyang, Gong Zhaohui
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, https://ror.org/03et85d35Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
Expert Rev Mol Med. 2025 Jun 9;27:e19. doi: 10.1017/erm.2025.10007.
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are transcribed RNA molecules that do not encode proteins but regulate diverse biological processes. Dysregulation of ncRNAs is implicated in cancer, where chemical modifications such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C), and glycosylation critically influence their function. However, these modifications, as precise regulators of ncRNA activity, have been less well-documented and understood in tumorigenesis and cancer progression.
This article systematically analyzes the roles of chemically modified ncRNAs - ribosomal RNA (rRNA), circular RNA (circRNA) and others - in cancer biology, synthesizingevidence from published studies on their mechanistic involvement in malignancy.
We reveal how specific chemical modifications drive oncogenesis, impact cancer diagnosis, and affect therapeutic responses, while also exploring their prognostic potential. Furthermore, we highlight emerging connections between ncRNA epitranscriptomics and cancer.
This review provides novel insights into ncRNA epitranscriptomics as emerging biomarkers and intervention targets for precision oncology.
非编码RNA（ncRNAs）是一类转录RNA分子，它们不编码蛋白质，但可调控多种生物学过程。ncRNAs的失调与癌症相关，其中诸如N6-甲基腺苷（m6A）、N4-乙酰胞苷（ac4C）和糖基化等化学修饰对其功能有至关重要的影响。然而，这些作为ncRNA活性精确调节因子的修饰，在肿瘤发生和癌症进展中的记录和理解较少。
本文系统分析了化学修饰的ncRNAs——核糖体RNA（rRNA）、环状RNA（circRNA）等——在癌症生物学中的作用，综合已发表研究中关于它们参与恶性肿瘤发生机制的证据。
我们揭示了特定化学修饰如何驱动肿瘤发生、影响癌症诊断并影响治疗反应，同时还探讨了它们的预后潜力。此外，我们强调了ncRNA表观转录组学与癌症之间新出现的联系。
本综述为ncRNA表观转录组学作为精准肿瘤学中新兴的生物标志物和干预靶点提供了新的见解。
