Non-protein coding RNA biomarkers and differential expression in cancers: a review.
BACKGROUND
In these years a huge number of human transcripts has been found that do not code for proteins, named non-protein coding RNAs. In most cases, small (miRNAs, snoRNAs) and long RNAs (antisense RNA, dsRNA, and long RNA species) have many roles, functioning as regulators of other mRNAs, at transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, and controlling protein ubiquitination and degradation. Various species of npcRNAs have been found differentially expressed in different types of cancer. This review discusses the published data and new results on the expression of a subset of npcRNAs.


CONCLUSIONS
These results underscore the complexity of the RNA world and provide further evidence on the involvement of functional RNAs in cancer cell growth control.
Mallardo
Massimo
M
University of Napoli Federico II, Department of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnologies, Via S, Pansini 5, Napoli, Italy. mallardo@dbbm.unina.it
Poltronieri
Palmiro
P
D'Urso
Oscar Fernando
OF
D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000378:metabolism*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D022661:RNA, Untranslated