Role of Long Noncoding RNAs in Neoplasia: Special Emphasis on Prostate Cancer

Recent advances in sequencing technology have dramatically improved the ability of investigators to study nucleic acid biology. Bolstered by these new and powerful techniques, the field of noncoding RNA (ncRNA) research, in particular, has witnessed a period of significant progress, wherein multiple new and unique species of ncRNA elements have been discovered and characterized. The current categories of ncRNAs include tRNA, rRNA, snoRNA, snRNA, piRNA, miRNA, and lncRNA, among others. The largest of these RNAs are the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that perform a diverse set of functions within the cell. Importantly, lncRNAs have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple types of cancer, including breast, lung, gastric, liver, and prostate. This reviews the major lncRNAs currently believed to play a role in human malignancies with a special emphasis on lncRNAs germane to cancer of the prostate gland. Continued investigation of lncRNA will likely prove to be exceedingly valuable, as they may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. In addition, lncRNAs offer the potential to serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancer. The present state of lncRNA-based strategies for use in the management of cancer will also be highlighted.