Regulatory Roles of ncRNAs in Cancer, Part 2

Dear Colleagues,

This is the expanded second edition of “Regulatory Roles of Non-coding RNAs in Cancer”, whose 1st edition resulted in the publication of 39 papers.

In the last decade, genome-wide studies have demonstrated the existence of a plethora of novel types of RNAs transcribed from cryptic regions of genomes which are not translated into proteins. These novel molecules exhibit regulatory functions and have been denoted as non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which are widely classified into three categories: (i) ncRNAs longer than 200 nucleotides, including the long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs); (ii) ncRNAs shorter than 40 nucleotides, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs); and (iii) circular RNAs (circRNAs), which is a type of ncRNA that forms a covalently closed circle mainly derived from introns. Remarkably, it has been demonstrated that expression levels of these ncRNAs are altered in different types of human cancers, and that they are involved in tumor initiation and progression, as well in cancer hallmarks. Additionally, these ncRNAs are well-accepted biomarkers of the prognosis and clinical outcomez of oncologic patients. Therefore, the deep study of ncRNAs in cancer will provide new opportunities for clinical cancer diagnosis and treatment. Notably, the development of novel computational tools and experimental technologies that provide putative predictions and experimental validations of ncRNA interaction networks also represents an invaluable advancement in the identification of the cellular processes in which these molecules are involved and related to cancer progression. The aim of this Special Issue is to collate original research and review articles that cover recent advances made in the understanding of the role of regulatory ncRNAs, including microRNAs, lncRNAs, ceRNAs, and circular RNAs, in the mechanisms of cancer development and progression. Studies focused on the bioinformatic and functional characterization of novel ncRNAs as potential biomarkers, and describing ncRNA-based therapeutic approaches targeting genes involved in cancer, are especially welcomed.

The topics to be covered in this collection include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Cellular and molecular mechanisms modulated by ncRNAs (lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs) in human malignancies;
• Genome-wide profiling of non-coding RNAs in cancer;
• Studies focused on the signaling pathways associated with ncRNAs functions;
• Novel 3D cell cultures and organoids models for analysis of ncRNAs as well as cancer–stroma cell interactions resembling the tumor microenvironment;
• Bioinformatic and functional identification of novel ncRNAs as potential therapeutic biomarkers targeting tumor development;
• Role of ncRNAs in the mechanisms of clinical resistance to chemo/radiotherapy in cancer;
• Applications of the system biology in the prediction and understanding of complex mRNAs–microRNAs–lncRNAs interaction networks.

Dr. Carlos Pérez Plasencia
Dr. Eloy Perez-Yepez
Guest Editors

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• Regulatory Roles of Non-coding RNAs in Cancer in Cells (39 articles)