TY - JOUR
T1 - The emerging role of non-coding RNAs in the epigenetic regulation of pediatric cancers
AU - Pathania, Anup S.
AU - Prathipati, Philip
AU - Pandey, Manoj K.
AU - Byrareddy, Siddappa N.
AU - Coulter, Don W.
AU - Gupta, Subash C.
AU - Challagundla, Kishore B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - Epigenetics is a process that involves the regulation of gene expression without altering the sequence of DNA. Numerous studies have documented that epigenetic mechanisms play a critical role in cell growth, differentiation, and cancer over the past decade. The well-known epigenetic modifications are either on DNA or at the histone proteins. Although several studies have focused on regulating gene expression by non-coding RNAs, the current understanding of their biological functions in various human diseases, particularly in cancers, is inadequate. Only about two percent of DNA is involved in coding the protein-coding genes, and leaving the rest 98 percent is non-coding and the scientific community regarded as junk or noise with no known purpose. Most non-coding RNAs are derived from such junk DNA and are known to be involved in various signaling pathways involving cancer initiation, progression, and the development of therapy resistance in many human cancer types. Recent studies have suggested that non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs, piwi-interactingRNAs, and long non-coding RNAs, play a significant role in controlling epigenetic mechanism(s), indicating the potential effect of epigenetic modulation of non-coding RNAs on cancer progression. In this review article, we briefly presented epigenetic marks' characteristics, crosstalk between epigenetic modifications and microRNAs, piwi-interactingRNAs, and long non-coding RNAs to uncover the effect on the phenotype of pediatric cancers. Further, current knowledge on understanding the RNA epigenetics will help design novel therapeutics that target epigenetic regulatory networks to benefit cancer patients in the clinic.
AB - Epigenetics is a process that involves the regulation of gene expression without altering the sequence of DNA. Numerous studies have documented that epigenetic mechanisms play a critical role in cell growth, differentiation, and cancer over the past decade. The well-known epigenetic modifications are either on DNA or at the histone proteins. Although several studies have focused on regulating gene expression by non-coding RNAs, the current understanding of their biological functions in various human diseases, particularly in cancers, is inadequate. Only about two percent of DNA is involved in coding the protein-coding genes, and leaving the rest 98 percent is non-coding and the scientific community regarded as junk or noise with no known purpose. Most non-coding RNAs are derived from such junk DNA and are known to be involved in various signaling pathways involving cancer initiation, progression, and the development of therapy resistance in many human cancer types. Recent studies have suggested that non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs, piwi-interactingRNAs, and long non-coding RNAs, play a significant role in controlling epigenetic mechanism(s), indicating the potential effect of epigenetic modulation of non-coding RNAs on cancer progression. In this review article, we briefly presented epigenetic marks' characteristics, crosstalk between epigenetic modifications and microRNAs, piwi-interactingRNAs, and long non-coding RNAs to uncover the effect on the phenotype of pediatric cancers. Further, current knowledge on understanding the RNA epigenetics will help design novel therapeutics that target epigenetic regulatory networks to benefit cancer patients in the clinic.
KW - Cancer
KW - DNA methylation
KW - Epigenetics
KW - Long-non coding RNAs
KW - microRNAs
KW - piwiRNAs
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85108210174&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.04.015
DO - 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.04.015
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33910063
AN - SCOPUS:85108210174
SN - 1044-579X
VL - 83
SP - 227
EP - 241
JO - Seminars in Cancer Biology
JF - Seminars in Cancer Biology
ER -