Boonto T, Ariyachet C. Deciphering the role of taurine-upregulated gene 1 in liver diseases: Mechanisms, clinical relevance, and emerging therapeutic opportunities. World J Hepatol 2025; 17(7): 106795 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i7.106795]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Chaiyaboot Ariyachet, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Paettayaphat Building, Rama IV Road, Phatumwan, Bangkok 10330, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand. chaiyaboot.a@chula.ac.th
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
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/
World J Hepatol. Jul 27, 2025; 17(7): 106795 Published online Jul 27, 2025. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i7.106795
Deciphering the role of taurine-upregulated gene 1 in liver diseases: Mechanisms, clinical relevance, and emerging therapeutic opportunities
Thammachanok Boonto, Chaiyaboot Ariyachet
Thammachanok Boonto, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand
Chaiyaboot Ariyachet, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand
Author contributions: Boonto T conducted the literature search, organized the structure of the review, and drafted the initial manuscript; Ariyachet C conceptualized the review and provided significant revisions to the manuscript; both authors edited and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have 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: Chaiyaboot Ariyachet, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Paettayaphat Building, Rama IV Road, Phatumwan, Bangkok 10330, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand. chaiyaboot.a@chula.ac.th
Received: March 7, 2025 Revised: April 19, 2025 Accepted: June 18, 2025 Published online: July 27, 2025 Processing time: 140 Days and 12.7 Hours
Abstract
Liver diseases are progressive conditions driven by multiple factors, including molecular regulators such as nonprotein-coding RNAs, which orchestrate genetic and epigenetic processes across various biological levels. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), RNA molecules longer than 200 nucleotides, have been identified as key modulators in both cancerous and noncancerous liver diseases. Among them, taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), one of the earliest discovered lncRNAs, has emerged as a tumor promoter in hepatocellular carcinoma. Functionally, TUG1 exerts its regulatory effects primarily through microRNA sponging as a competing endogenous RNA while also exhibiting protein-binding capabilities that suggest additional roles in both transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation. Furthermore, evidence suggests that dysregulation of TUG1 is closely linked to the development and progression of liver diseases. This review explores the key characteristics, mechanisms, and signaling pathways through which TUG1 affects liver disease, offering fresh insights into potential therapeutic directions and new avenues for future TUG1-related research.
Core Tip: Taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), a long noncoding RNA, plays a critical role in liver pathogenesis by regulating gene expression through diverse mechanisms, including acting as a microRNA sponge, interacting with proteins, and modulating signaling pathways. TUG1 is involved in various liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma, liver injury, fibrosis/cirrhosis, and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, making it a potential therapeutic target.
