Geng Jiamian, Sun Zhaoyuan, Li Hang
Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jun 17;26(12):5822. doi: 10.3390/ijms26125822.
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and the significant roles they play in several diseases have been described and verified in numerous studies. Transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived fragments (tRFs) are a newly discovered class of small ncRNAs produced by mature or precursor tRNAs. In light of the development of RNA sequencing, evidence has shown that tRFs are widely involved in the generation and progression of diseases through a series of mechanisms, including RNA silencing, translational regulation, epigenetic regulation, reverse-transcriptional regulation, and cellular apoptosis. Several studies have determined that tRFs participate in several cancers in a number of ways. Furthermore, novel tRFs may hold significant potential as both diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in clinical applications. In this review, we discuss the biogenesis and classification of tRFs, illustrate their fundamental functions, and summarize the most recent tRF-related discoveries pertaining to cancer.
非编码RNA（ncRNAs）及其在多种疾病中所起的重要作用已在众多研究中得到描述和验证。转运RNA（tRNA）衍生片段（tRFs）是一类新发现的由成熟或前体tRNA产生的小ncRNAs。鉴于RNA测序技术的发展，有证据表明tRFs通过一系列机制广泛参与疾病的发生和发展，这些机制包括RNA沉默、翻译调控、表观遗传调控、逆转录调控和细胞凋亡。多项研究已确定tRFs以多种方式参与多种癌症。此外，新型tRFs在临床应用中作为诊断生物标志物和治疗靶点可能具有巨大潜力。在本综述中，我们讨论了tRFs的生物发生和分类，阐述了它们的基本功能，并总结了与癌症相关的tRFs的最新发现。
