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Natural Antisense Transcripts: Molecular Mechanisms and Implications in Breast Cancers

Guillaume Latgé1, Christophe Poulet2, Vincent Bours3,4

  • 1Laboratory of Human Genetics, GIGA-Institute, University of Liège, 4500 Liège, Belgium. g.latge@doct.ulg.ac.be.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|January 6, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are RNA molecules involved in gene regulation. Research highlights their altered expression in breast cancers and potential as therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are RNA molecules transcribed from the opposite strand of a gene locus.
  • Advances in strand-specific sequencing have revealed NATs, initially often misclassified as long non-coding RNAs.
  • While their exact functions are still under investigation, NATs are increasingly recognized for their role in gene expression regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on natural antisense transcripts.
  • To explore their molecular mechanisms in gene expression regulation.
  • To discuss their potential as biomarkers in breast cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on natural antisense transcripts.
  • Analysis of their roles in gene expression.
  • Evaluation of their clinical utility in breast cancer.

Main Results:

  • NATs are implicated in gene expression regulation across various physiological and pathological conditions.
  • Expression levels of NATs are frequently altered in breast cancers.
  • Non-coding/coding NAT pairs offer potential for targeted therapeutic strategies using antisense oligonucleotides.

Conclusions:

  • Natural antisense transcripts play a significant role in gene regulation.
  • Altered NAT expression in breast cancer suggests potential as prognostic or predictive biomarkers.
  • Targeting NATs, particularly non-coding/coding pairs, presents a promising avenue for breast cancer treatment.
Keywords:
breast cancergene expression regulationlncRNAnatural antisense transcriptnatural antisense transcriptsnext generation sequencingnon-coding RNA

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