Regulation of Nuclear Factor-KappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathway by non-coding RNAs in cancer: Inhibiting or promoting carcinogenesis?

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) pathway is crucial in cellular processes and implicated in cancer development.
• Dysregulated NF-κB signaling promotes cancer proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to therapy.
• Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging regulators of cellular signaling pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of various ncRNAs in modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway.
• To explore how ncRNAs influence cancer cell behavior and response to treatment.
• To highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting ncRNA-NF-κB interactions in cancer.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating ncRNAs and NF-κB signaling in cancer.
• Analysis of mechanisms by which microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) interact with NF-κB.
• Examination of the impact of these interactions on cancer progression and therapeutic outcomes.

Main Results:

• ncRNAs, including miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, significantly modulate NF-κB activity in cancer.
• miRNAs can directly target NF-κB components or indirectly regulate it, affecting cancer cell growth and migration.
• lncRNAs and circRNAs can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), influencing miRNA levels and subsequently NF-κB activation, thereby impacting tumorigenesis.

Conclusions:

• ncRNAs represent key regulators of the NF-κB pathway in the context of cancer.
• Targeting ncRNA-mediated regulation of NF-κB offers promising therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.
• Understanding these complex interactions is vital for developing novel anti-cancer therapies.