Hypoxia-regulated lncRNAs in cancer

Hypoxic regions are common in solid tumors and have an impact on tumor progression and on the therapeutic response. However, the underlying mechanism for hypoxic tumor microenvironment has not been entirely elucidated. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are being increasingly recognized to contribute to carcinogenesis through diverse mechanisms. To date, several lncRNAs have been described in hypoxia-associated cancer process, implying a potential role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and enabling an adaptive survival under hypoxic stress conditions. While it has been widely accepted that a complex cellular network of gene products, such as protein and miRNA, take part in hypoxic cancer progression, it remains largely elusive how lncRNAs participate in it. In this review, we introduce an update view of lncRNAs, focusing on hypoxia-related lncRNAs. We hereby summarize the cause and consequence of hypoxia-modulated lncRNAs in cancer as well as their functional mechanisms, highlighting the specific roles of lncRNAs in hypoxia response in cancer.