Long non-coding RNA H19 and cancer: A competing endogenous RNA

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA with a length of more than 200 nucleotides, which has become a hotspot in the research of tumorigenesis and development in recent years. Accumulating studies have indicated that H19 is abnormally expressed in human malignant tumors, and regulates cell proliferation, migration, invasion, anti-apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition through various mechanisms, thus playing a carcinogenic or anti-cancer role. H19 has been found to act as a microRNA sponge to indirectly regulate the expression of microRNA downstream target genes thus mediating cancer progression in several cancer types. Even in the same cancer, H19 also sponges various microRNAs to mediate diverse regulatory mechanisms. Tissue-specific expression of H19 suggests that it may be an early diagnostic marker or prognostic indicator of cancers. In this review, we summarize the latest original researches, mainly focusing on the role of H19 sponging microRNAs in cancers. We hope this article can facilitate readers obtain the molecular mechanisms of H19 sponging miRNAs in cancers and provide a broad perspective for further research on cancer diagnosis and therapy.