title: Long noncoding RNAs in normal and pathological pluripotency.
abstract: The striking similarities between pluripotent and cancer cells, such as immortality and increased stress resistance, have long been acknowledged. Numerous studies searched for and successfully identified common molecular players and pathways, thus providing an entirely new challenge and potential therapeutic angle by targeting cancer cells or a specific stem population of the tumor via pluripotency associated processes. However, these strategies have until now mainly been restricted to proteins. Nonetheless, it has become clear over the past decade that the overwhelming majority of the genome produces noncoding transcripts, many of which have proven both functional and crucial for key cellular processes, including stemness maintenance. Moreover, numerous long noncoding RNAs are deregulated in cancer, but little is known concerning their functions and molecular mechanisms. Consequently, it seems essential to integrate the noncoding transcripts into the picture of the stemness-cancer connection. Whereas a number of studies have addressed the expression of lncRNAs in cancer stem cells, no systematic approach has yet been undertaken to identify lncRNAs implicated in the maintenance of the embryonic stemness state that is hijacked by cancer cells. The aim of this review is to highlight long noncoding RNAs with shared functions in stemness and cancer and to outline the current state of a field in its infancy, the search for long noncoding transcripts in cancer stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaloes Vej 5, DK-2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: sophia.hafner@bric.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Sophia J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Häfner
authors.affiliation: Dansk Fundamental Metrologi, Matematiktorvet 307, DK-2600, Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Talvard
authors.affiliation: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaloes Vej 5, DK-2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: anders.lund@bric.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Anders H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lund
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding
keywords: Cancer; Cancer stem cells; Differentiation; Long noncoding RNAs; Pluripotency; Stemness