Cancer is a complex genetic disorder where the alteration of expression of the genes drives functional changes in the biology of cells that play a crucial role in tumor development and progression.
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are essential mediators of gene expression and physiologically regulate the biological processes of normal cells. Aberrant expression of ncRNAs is frequently found in cancer cells, contributing to cancer development and progression. Besides their localization inside cells, ncRNAs can also be found in the extracellular space and work as intercellular circulating messengers. Indeed, ncRNAs can be shuttled among the cells within the tumor microenvironment and even at distant organs, encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EVs), or complexed with high-density lipoproteins. Once delivered to target cells, ncRNAs regulate their gene expression and biological functions. The bidirectional communication between cancer cells and normal surrounding cells (immune, endothelial, epithelial, and stromal cells) is essential in regulating cancer initiation and progression. Studying the functional role of cellular and extracellular ncRNAs will help gain further insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating cancer initiation and progression and identify new potential targets for novel cancer therapy.
The past decade witnessed an increasing interest in using ncRNAs as potential tumor biomarkers to predict clinical outcomes and therapy responses and as potential targets for developing RNA-based therapeutics. In particular, due to the stability of ncRNAs in the blood, considerable effort has been applied to developing tumor biomarkers using liquid biopsies. Finally, targeting aberrant expression of ncRNAs may represent an effective therapeutic strategy to tackle potential cancer pathways that are undruggable by standard therapies.
This article collection will cover this broad spectrum of topics and provide the latest advancements in the ncRNAs field regarding cancer biology, diagnosis, and therapy.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Cancer is a complex genetic disorder where the alteration of expression of the genes drives functional changes in the biology of cells that play a crucial role in tumor development and progression.
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are essential mediators of gene expression and physiologically regulate the biological processes of normal cells. Aberrant expression of ncRNAs is frequently found in cancer cells, contributing to cancer development and progression. Besides their localization inside cells, ncRNAs can also be found in the extracellular space and work as intercellular circulating messengers. Indeed, ncRNAs can be shuttled among the cells within the tumor microenvironment and even at distant organs, encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EVs), or complexed with high-density lipoproteins. Once delivered to target cells, ncRNAs regulate their gene expression and biological functions. The bidirectional communication between cancer cells and normal surrounding cells (immune, endothelial, epithelial, and stromal cells) is essential in regulating cancer initiation and progression. Studying the functional role of cellular and extracellular ncRNAs will help gain further insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating cancer initiation and progression and identify new potential targets for novel cancer therapy.
The past decade witnessed an increasing interest in using ncRNAs as potential tumor biomarkers to predict clinical outcomes and therapy responses and as potential targets for developing RNA-based therapeutics. In particular, due to the stability of ncRNAs in the blood, considerable effort has been applied to developing tumor biomarkers using liquid biopsies. Finally, targeting aberrant expression of ncRNAs may represent an effective therapeutic strategy to tackle potential cancer pathways that are undruggable by standard therapies.
This article collection will cover this broad spectrum of topics and provide the latest advancements in the ncRNAs field regarding cancer biology, diagnosis, and therapy.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.