Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells
07:23

Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells

Published on: May 30, 2025

1.1K

Galectins: a promising arsenal of novel immunotherapeutic weapons in oncology tunned by an array of non-coding RNAs

Alyaa Dawoud1,2, Tasneem Abaza3,4, Yomna Youssef5,6

  • 1UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
|October 15, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Galectins, proteins involved in cancer, are regulated by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Targeting this interaction offers new cancer therapies, especially for immunotherapy, by controlling tumor growth and spread.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Galectins are sugar-binding proteins implicated in various cellular functions and disease progression.
  • In cancer, galectins promote tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immune evasion.
  • Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and circular RNAs, regulate gene expression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the intricate relationship between ncRNAs and galectins in cancer.
  • To highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting the ncRNA-galectin axis.
  • To review the role of this interplay in various cancer types.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating ncRNAs and galectins in cancer.
  • Analysis of regulatory mechanisms of ncRNAs targeting galectins.
  • Examination of the impact of ncRNA-galectin interactions on cancer hallmarks.

Main Results:

  • ncRNAs act as key regulators of galectin expression and function in cancer.
  • The ncRNA-galectin interplay influences tumor progression, including immune evasion.
  • Modulating this interaction shows promise for enhancing cancer therapies, particularly immunotherapy.

Conclusions:

  • The ncRNA-galectin axis represents a significant target for novel cancer therapies.
  • Understanding this complex interplay can lead to more effective and targeted treatment strategies.
  • Further research into ncRNA-galectin interactions may unlock new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues in oncology.
Keywords:
Galectinscancergalectin inhibitorsimmuno-oncologynon-coding RNAs (ncRNAs)

More Related Videos

Overexpressing Long Noncoding RNAs Using Gene-activating CRISPR13:04

Overexpressing Long Noncoding RNAs Using Gene-activating CRISPR

Published on: March 1, 2019

9.3K
Repression of Multiple Myeloma Cell Growth In Vivo by Single-wall Carbon Nanotube SWCNT-delivered MALAT1 Antisense Oligos07:24

Repression of Multiple Myeloma Cell Growth In Vivo by Single-wall Carbon Nanotube SWCNT-delivered MALAT1 Antisense Oligos

Published on: December 13, 2018

6.8K

Related Concept Videos

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA...
9.8K
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

3.5K
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
1.7K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
8.6K
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
7.3K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
6.9K