Yu JM, Sun CQ, Xu HH, Jiang YL, Jiang XY, Ni SQ, Zhao TY, Liu LX. Navigating the labyrinth of long non-coding RNAs in colorectal cancer: From chemoresistance to autophagy. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16(8): 3376-3381 [PMID: 39171173 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i8.3376]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ling-Xiang Liu, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. llxlau@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jia-Mei Yu, Chong-Qi Sun, Xing-Yu Jiang, Si-Qi Ni, Ting-Yu Zhao, Ling-Xiang Liu, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Huan-Huan Xu, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Geriatric Lung Cancer Research Laboratory, Jiangsu Province Geriatric Hospital, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
Ya-Li Jiang, Central Laboratory, The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Yining 835000, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
Co-first authors: Jia-Mei Yu and Chong-Qi Sun.
Author contributions: Yu JM, Sun CQ, and Liu LX contributed to this paper; Yu JM, Sun CQ, Xu HH, Jiang YL, and Liu LX designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Yu JM, Sun CQ, Jiang XY, Ni SQ, Zhao TY, and Liu LX contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Yu JM and Sun CQ contributed to the writing, and editing the manuscript, illustrations, and review of literature; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported bythe National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81472782; National Clinical Key Specialty Department (Oncology) of China, No. YWC-ZKJS-2023-01; and Research Fund of Yili Institute of Clinical Medicine, No. yl2021ms02.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ling-Xiang Liu, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. llxlau@163.com
Received: March 6, 2024 Revised: May 3, 2024 Accepted: May 22, 2024 Published online: August 15, 2024 Processing time: 154 Days and 16.6 Hours
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), with transcript lengths exceeding 200 nucleotides and little or no protein-coding capacity, have been found to impact colorectal cancer (CRC) through various biological processes. LncRNA expression can regulate autophagy, which plays dual roles in the initiation and progression of cancers, including CRC. Abnormal expression of lncRNAs is associated with the emergence of chemoresistance. Moreover, it has been confirmed that targeting autophagy through lncRNA regulation could be a viable approach for combating chemoresistance. Two recent studies titled “Human β-defensin-1 affects the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway and autophagy in colon cancer cells through long non-coding RNA TCONS_00014506” and “Upregulated lncRNA PRNT promotes progression and oxaliplatin resistance of colorectal cancer cells by regulating HIPK2 transcription” revealed novel insights into lncRNAs associated with autophagy and oxaliplatin resistance in CRC, respectively. In this editorial, we particularly focus on the regulatory role of lncRNAs in CRC-related autophagy and chemoresistance since the regulation of chemotherapeutic sensitivity by intervening with the lncRNAs involved in the autophagy process has become a promising new approach for cancer treatment.
Core Tip: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression can regulate both autophagy and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). Autophagy exerts dual effects on chemotherapy resistance through multiple mechanisms, including the regulation of autophagy-related lncRNAs. In this editorial, we focus on the role of lncRNAs in the regulation of autophagy and chemoresistance in CRC and explore the feasibility of modulating chemosensitivity by interfering with lncRNAs involved in the autophagic process.
