Long noncoding RNAs in normal and pathological pluripotency

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research
• Genomics

Background:

• Pluripotent and cancer cells share traits like immortality and stress resistance.
• Research has identified common molecular pathways, but strategies mainly focused on proteins.
• The majority of the genome produces functional noncoding transcripts, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), crucial for cellular processes like stemness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate noncoding transcripts, specifically lncRNAs, into the understanding of the stemness-cancer connection.
• To systematically identify lncRNAs involved in maintaining the embryonic stemness state exploited by cancer cells.
• To highlight lncRNAs with shared functions in stemness and cancer.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on lncRNAs in stemness and cancer.
• Analysis of studies investigating lncRNA expression in cancer stem cells.
• Synthesis of current knowledge on lncRNA functions and mechanisms in both contexts.

Main Results:

• Numerous lncRNAs are deregulated in cancer, but their functions and mechanisms remain largely unknown.
• While some studies explored lncRNAs in cancer stem cells, a systematic approach to identify those maintaining embryonic stemness is lacking.
• This review consolidates existing knowledge and identifies key lncRNAs implicated in both stemness and cancer.

Conclusions:

• lncRNAs play critical roles in stemness maintenance and are frequently dysregulated in cancer.
• Understanding the shared functions of lncRNAs in stemness and cancer is essential for developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting cancer stem cells.
• Further systematic investigation of lncRNAs in cancer stem cells is warranted to fully elucidate their roles and therapeutic potential.