• LncRNA's Role in Leukemia
  • Arian Mohammadi,1,*
    1. Islamic Azad University: Science and Research Branch


  • Introduction: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides, transcribed by RNA polymerase II. They exhibit high levels of cell-, tissue-, and tumor-specific expression. They have gained significant attention due to their diverse roles in biological processes, including cancer development, metastasis, metabolism, and gene regulation. Unlike protein-coding genes, lncRNAs do not encode proteins but play crucial regulatory roles by controlling a spectrum of mechanisms at multiple levels, including epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and translational regulations. They act as molecular scaffolds, guide protein-protein interactions, and regulate chromatin remodeling and gene expression. Additionally, they’ve been observed to carry out functions through interactions with RNAi, notably with miRNAs, as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) and by sponging or transcriptional regulation. LncRNAs are known to modulate signaling pathways related to metabolism, drug resistance induction, cell proliferation and apoptosis inhibition, namely Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, PBX3/MAPK and NF-κB in different types of cancer. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has been implicated in numerous diseases, including cancer, making them intriguing targets for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic interventions. In blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, lncRNAs regulate gene expression and disease progression. Dysregulated expression of lncRNAs can alter leukemia development, both in-favor and against the tumor, through the regulation of their transcription. Because of this, specific lncRNAs have been identified as potential diagnostic or prognostic markers, providing valuable insights into disease progression and patient outcomes, where their dysregulation is sighted. In this review we will be elucidating their intricate functional mechanisms and potential clinical applications as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets, taking into account their diverse expression patterns.
  • Methods: Text based on the contents found in the following journals: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, DNA Repair, Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Nature genetics, Blood Advances, Drug Resistance Updates, Bioscience reports, Molecular Cancer, Journal of molecular medicine, Leukemia, MBO reports, Cell Rep, Oncol Lett, RNA Biology, Molecules and cells, RSC Advances, Journal of Cellular Physiology, Iran J Basic Med Sci, Pathology, Neoplasma, Molecular cell, Blood Cancer Journal, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, Haematologica, Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases, Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics, Molecular cancer, Gene, Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, The Scientific Journal of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, Cancer Cell International, The Journal of Immunology, Frontiers in Oncology, Journal of Biomedical Science, Cancers, Life sciences, Cell Proliferation, BMC Cancer, Oncology Reports, Science, British Journal of Cancer, Cell Death & Disease, Frontiers in Medicine
  • Results: LncRNAs have recently been one of the main research topics in the field of cancer biology and rightfully so, as they have shown promising results regarding their medical use. This could be in the form of an intervention through controlling the regulation of certain lncRNAs to impede tumor progression. Examples include directly or indirectly upregulating anti-oncogenic lncRNAs and/or downregulating oncogenic ones. Moreover, their interference with the functionality of chemotherapy drugs could be targeted for a more effective treatment plan, maybe even alongside the combination with transcription modulation. Not to mention, that the matter of their presence alone is shown to be of use, when it comes to diagnosis. The use of lncRNAs against leukemia was also clinically tested, with their use as a biomarker being highlighted as a very promising future tool for early recognition. Furthermore, a rising number of papers are now also sharing the optimistic view in the field of leukemia and going beyond with adding more themes onto it.
  • Conclusion: LncRNAs have only somewhat recently caught the eyes of researchers, but they have proved themselves to be of significant importance for diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic methods. As of now a large number of them have been discovered along with their functions and roles in different cancers and they are still being extensively researched. Most lncRNAs in leukemia take on oncogenic roles as they are upregulated and promote the diseases’ progression, but there are also ones that are downregulated since they exhibit antioncogenic functions. LncRNAs operate by using several mechanisms such as epigenetic- and transcriptional regulation they are able to deploy functions like interacting with transcription factors, DNA methylation, histone modification and others in different types of leukemia. As of now this topic is still relying on future research to uncover lncRNAs and their uses in leukemia as well as other cancers. With the additional research done to confirm their place in the clinical toolkit, lncRNAs will hopefully be taken into use for the clinical procedure and have an effect on the diseases' outcome.
  • Keywords: LncRNA; Leukemia; Cancer Biology; Molecular Medicine