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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2016; 22(2): 801-814
Published online Jan 14, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i2.801
Noncoding RNAs and pancreatic cancer
Juan-Fei Peng, Yan-Yan Zhuang, Feng-Ting Huang, Shi-Neng Zhang
Juan-Fei Peng, Yan-Yan Zhuang, Feng-Ting Huang, Shi-Neng Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Peng JF, Zhuang YY and Huang FT performed the literature search, wrote the first draft of the manuscript and approved the final version; Zhang SN reviewed the literature and revised this paper critically.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81572348; the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, No. 2013B021800099; and the Foundation of Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau, No. 201510010206.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that we have no competing interests.
Open-Access: 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/
Correspondence to: Dr. Shi-Neng Zhang, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 107 Yangjiang Rd, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China. shinengz@163.net
Telephone: +86-20-81332598 Fax: +86-20-81332244
Received: May 28, 2015
Peer-review started: June 2, 2015
First decision: July 14, 2015
Revised: September 1, 2015
Accepted: November 30, 2015
Article in press: December 1, 2015
Published online: January 14, 2016
Abstract

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent a class of RNA molecules that typically do not code for proteins. Emerging data suggest that ncRNAs play an important role in several physiological and pathological conditions such as cancer. The best-characterized ncRNAs are the microRNAs (miRNAs), which are short, approximately 22-nucleotide sequences of RNA of approximately 22-nucleotide in length that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, through transcript degradation or translational repression. MiRNAs can function as master gene regulators, impacting a variety of cellular pathways important to normal cellular functions as well as cancer development and progression. In addition to miRNAs, long ncRNAs, which are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides, have recently emerged as novel drivers of tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms of their regulation and function, and the significance of other ncRNAs such as piwi-interacting RNAs in pancreas carcinogenesis are largely unknown. This review summarizes the growing body of evidence supporting the vital roles of ncRNAs in pancreatic cancer, focusing on their dysregulation through both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, and highlighting the promise of ncRNAs in diagnostic and therapeutic applications of pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Noncoding RNAs, Diagnosis, Pancreatic cancer, Therapy, Prognosis

Core tip: Emerging data suggest that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a vital role in pancreatic cancer. They contribute to pancreatic cancer through regulation of gene expression at the chromatin, transcriptional, or posttranscriptional level. However, their function and mechanism in pancreatic cancer development are not fully understood. This review focuses on ncRNAs dysregulation in pancreatic cancer through both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, and the impact of this dysregulation on pancreatic cancer risk. We highlight the potential role of the most promising ncRNAs in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.