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Non-coding RNA and Cancer: New Treatment Opportunities and Impact on Metastasis and Therapy Resistance

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 5155

Special Issue Editors

Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: novel Ru-based nanosystems for cancer therapy
Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: cancer; cell death pathways; miRNA; long non-coding RNA; cell signaling; apoptosis; autophagy; nanotechnology; drug delivery; chemotherapy; combination therapy; target-therapy; immunotherapy; biomarkers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, via de Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: cancer; non-coding RNA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advent of emerging molecular and genetic omics technologies has made a powerful contribution to understanding the biochemical alterations behind cancer development and progression. Cancer-associated specific molecular dysregulation is largely supported by noncoding RNAs (ncRNA), whose expression is, in turn, frequently altered in pathologic conditions as a result of mutations or copy number variations in non-coding DNA regions. Based on their size, functional ncRNA molecules are analytically classified as long ncRNAs (lncRNAs, >200 nt), and small ncRNAs (sncRNAs, 18–200 nt). The first represent the largest class of non-coding transcripts acting as chromatin, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators, as well as in protein and RNA scaffolding. sncRNAs include, but are not limited to, microRNA (miRNA), endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs), PIWI-associated small RNAs (piRNAs) and small nucleolarRNAs (snoRNAs), acting as essential transcriptional and translational regulators. Due to their aberrant expression in human neoplasms, they can behave as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors in a tissue-specific manner, thus providing novel therapeutic opportunities to be translated into clinics for successful cancer treatment. Among the cancer-related processes controlled by ncRNAs, molecular regulatory networks governing metastasis are frequently investigated for the possible diagnostic and therapeutic applications of these molecules. Furthermore, the involvement of ncRNAs in either promoting or hindering multidrug resistance in certain cancer types is notable.

This Special Issue will explore the latest advances in ncRNA research, focusing on the regulatory function of ncRNAs in cancer-related processes with particular attention toward their advantages of commitment in metastatic events or drug resistance, as well as to their application as therapeutic agents.

Dr. Carlo Irace
Dr. Gabriella Misso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • cancer
  • miRNA
  • lncRNA
  • metastasis
  • therapy resistance
  • cancer treatment
  • cell death
  • epigenetics

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

33 pages, 7651 KiB  
Review
microRNA Detection via Nanostructured Biochips for Early Cancer Diagnostics
by Sara Martino, Chiara Tammaro, Gabriella Misso, Michela Falco, Marianna Scrima, Marco Bocchetti, Ilaria Rea, Luca De Stefano and Michele Caraglia
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 7762; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097762 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1922
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA) are constituted of approximately 22 nucleotides and play an important role in the regulation of many physiological functions and diseases. In the last 10 years, an increasing interest has been recorded in studying the expression profile of miRNAs in cancer. Real [...] Read more.
MicroRNA (miRNA) are constituted of approximately 22 nucleotides and play an important role in the regulation of many physiological functions and diseases. In the last 10 years, an increasing interest has been recorded in studying the expression profile of miRNAs in cancer. Real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), microarrays, and small RNA sequencing represent the gold standard techniques used in the last 30 years as detection methods. The advent of nanotechnology has allowed the fabrication of nanostructured biosensors which are widely exploited in the diagnostic field. Nanostructured biosensors offer many advantages: (i) their small size allows the construction of portable, wearable, and low-cost products; (ii) the large surface–volume ratio enables the loading of a great number of biorecognition elements (e.g., probes, receptors); and (iii) direct contact of the recognition element with the analyte increases the sensitivity and specificity inducing low limits of detection (LOD). In this review, the role of nanostructured biosensors in miRNA detection is explored, focusing on electrochemical and optical sensing. In particular, four types of nanomaterials (metallic nanoparticles, graphene oxide, quantum dots, and nanostructured polymers) are reported for both detection strategies with the aim to show their distinct properties and applications. Full article
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21 pages, 3265 KiB  
Review
Crosstalk between Methylation and ncRNAs in Breast Cancer: Therapeutic and Diagnostic Implications
by Yitong Liu, Ping Leng, Yan Liu, Jinlin Guo and Hao Zhou
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(24), 15759; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415759 - 12 Dec 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2785
Abstract
Breast cancer, as a highly heterogeneous malignant tumor, is one of the primary causes of death among females worldwide. The etiology of breast cancer involves aberrant epigenetic mechanisms and abnormal expression of certain non-coding RNA (ncRNAs). DNA methylation, N6-methyladenosine(m6A), and histone methylation are [...] Read more.
Breast cancer, as a highly heterogeneous malignant tumor, is one of the primary causes of death among females worldwide. The etiology of breast cancer involves aberrant epigenetic mechanisms and abnormal expression of certain non-coding RNA (ncRNAs). DNA methylation, N6-methyladenosine(m6A), and histone methylation are widely explored epigenetic regulation types in breast cancer. ncRNAs are a group of unique RNA transcripts, mainly including microRNA (miRNAs), long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs), circular RNA (circRNAs), small interfering RNA (siRNAs), piwi-interacting RNA (piRNAs), etc. Different types of methylation and ncRNAs mutually regulate and interact to form intricate networks to mediate precisely breast cancer genesis. In this review, we elaborate on the crosstalk between major methylation modifications and ncRNAs and discuss the role of their interaction in promoting breast cancer oncogenesis. This review can provide novel insights into establishing a new diagnostic marker system on methylation patterns of ncRNAs and therapeutic perspectives of combining ncRNA oligonucleotides and phytochemical drugs for breast cancer therapy. Full article
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