Title:The Emerging Role of EMT-related lncRNAs in Therapy Resistance
and their Applications as Biomarkers
Volume: 29
Issue: 26
Author(s): Zahra Abedi kichi, Mona Soltani, Mina Rezaei, Zeinab Shirvani-Farsani*Mahbubeh Rojhannezhad
Affiliation:
- Department
of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University,
Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Long non-coding RNA, drug resistance, EMT, Wnt/β-catenin pathway, PI3K-AKT pathway, TGF-β pathway, EMT-related lncRNAs, therapy resistance, biomarkers.
Abstract: Cancer is the world's second-largest cause of death. The most common cancer
treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Drug resistance, epithelial--
to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and metastasis are pressing issues in cancer therapy today.
Increasing evidence showed that drug resistance and EMT are co-related with each
other. Indeed, drug-resistant cancer cells possess enhanced EMT and invasive ability. Recent
research has demonstrated that lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs) are non-coding
transcripts which play an important role in the regulation of EMT, metastasis, and drug
resistance in different cancers. However, the relationships among lncRNAs, EMT, and
drug resistance are still unclear. These effects could be exerted via several signaling pathways,
such as TGF-β, PI3K-AKT, and Wnt/β-catenin. Identifying the crucial regulatory
roles of lncRNAs in these pathways and processes leads to the development of novel targeted
therapies. We review the key aspects of lncRNAs associated with EMT and therapy
resistance. We focus on the crosstalk between lncRNAs and molecular signaling pathways
affecting EMT and drug resistance. Moreover, each of the mentioned lncRNAs
could be used as a potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic therapy resistancefor
cancer. However, the investigation of lncRNAs for clinical applications still has several
challenges.