Targeting Non-Coding RNAs To Overcome Cancer Therapy Resistance

Authors

BaoQing Chen
Mihnea P Dragomir
Chen Yang
Qiaoqiao Li
David Horst
George A Calin

Publication Date

4-13-2022

Journal

Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Abstract

It is now well known that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), rather than protein-coding transcripts, are the preponderant RNA transcripts. NcRNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are widely appreciated as pervasive regulators of multiple cancer hallmarks such as proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, and genomic instability. Despite recent discoveries in cancer therapy, resistance to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy continue to be a major setback. Recent studies have shown that ncRNAs also play a major role in resistance to different cancer therapies by rewiring essential signaling pathways. In this review, we present the intricate mechanisms through which dysregulated ncRNAs control resistance to the four major types of cancer therapies. We will focus on the current clinical implications of ncRNAs as biomarkers to predict treatment response (intrinsic resistance) and to detect resistance to therapy after the start of treatment (acquired resistance). Furthermore, we will present the potential of targeting ncRNA to overcome cancer treatment resistance, and we will discuss the challenges of ncRNA-targeted therapy-especially the development of delivery systems.

Keywords

Humans, MicroRNAs, Neoplasms, RNA, Circular, RNA, Long Noncoding, RNA, Untranslated, Tumour biomarkers, Cancer genetics

DOI

10.1038/s41392-022-00975-3

PMID

35418578

PMCID

PMC9008121

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

4-13-2022

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes