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World J Gastrointest Oncol. Aug 15, 2021; 13(8): 867-878
Published online Aug 15, 2021. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v13.i8.867
Role of exosomal long non-coding RNAs in colorectal cancer
Ru Sun, Xiao-Yun He, Cheng Mei, Chun-Lin Ou
Ru Sun, Department of Blood Transfusion, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Xiao-Yun He, Chun-Lin Ou, Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan Province, China
Cheng Mei, Department of Blood Transfusion, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Ou CL designed the structure of the manuscript; Sun R, He XY, Mei C, and Ou CL drafted the manuscript; Sun R and Ou CL reviewed the literature; Sun R, Mei C, and Ou CL critically revised the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81903032; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No. 2020M672520; Research Program of Hunan Health Commission, China, No. 202103030659; and Youth Fund of Xiangya Hospital, No. 2018Q011.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest for this manuscript.
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: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chun-Lin Ou, PhD, Academic Research, Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan Province, China. ouchunlin@csu.edu.cn
Received: March 2, 2021
Peer-review started: March 2, 2021
First decision: May 3, 2021
Revised: June 11, 2021
Accepted: July 6, 2021
Article in press: July 6, 2021
Published online: August 15, 2021
Abstract

Exosomes are a class of small extracellular vesicles, 30-150 nm in diameter, that transfer biological information (e.g., DNA, RNA, and protein) via cell-to-cell communication. Exosomes play critical roles in the occurrence and development of human cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be encapsulated in exosomes, which transfer lncRNAs from secretory cells into recipient cells. This process affects the progression of CRC, since exosomal lncRNAs display special and extensive functions in CRC tumorigenesis, including malignant proliferation, metastasis, chemoresistance, and inflammatory response. Moreover, due to their specificity and sensitivity, exosomal lncRNAs are released into body fluids (e.g., urine, sputum, and plasma), which have the potential to be biomarkers of CRC tumorigenesis within screening efforts and medical and epidemiologic research. In this review, we aim to clarify the function and mechanism of exosomal lncRNAs in CRC tumorigenesis and provide a strategy for early diagnosis and medical treatment of this malignancy.

Keywords: Exosomes, Long non-coding RNAs, Colorectal cancer, Chemoresistance, Inflammatory response, Therapy

Core Tip: Recent studies have shown that exosomal long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Exosomal lncRNAs display special and extensive functions in CRC tumorigenesis, including malignant proliferation, metastasis, chemoresistance, and inflammatory response. Moreover, due to their specificity and sensitivity, exosomal lncRNAs are released into body fluids, which have the potential to be biomarkers of CRC tumorigenesis within screening efforts and medical and epidemiologic research. In this review, we aim to clarify the function and mechanism of exosomal lncRNAs in CRC tumorigenesis and provide a strategy for early diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy.