Natural antisense transcripts in the biological hallmarks of cancer: powerful regulators hidden in the dark

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research

Xue Zhang¹  Shuo Chen²  Song Zhang³  Shanshan Zhao⁴ 

[1] Department of Epigenetics, China Medical University, 110122, Shenyang, Liaoning, China;Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 510150, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China;Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, 110001, Shenyang, Liaoning, China;Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, 110122, Shenyang, Liaoning, China;Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Diseases and Fertility Remodeling of Liaoning Province, Reproductive Medicine Center, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, 110022, Shenyang, Liaoning, China;

关键词: Natural antisense transcripts;    NATs;    Cancer;    Hallmarks of cancer;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13046-020-01700-0

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Natural antisense transcripts (NATs), which are transcribed from opposite strands of DNA with partial or complete overlap, affect multiple stages of gene expression, from epigenetic to post-translational modifications. NATs are dysregulated in various types of cancer, and an increasing number of studies focusing on NATs as pivotal regulators of the hallmarks of cancer and as promising candidates for cancer therapy are just beginning to unravel the mystery. Here, we summarize the existing knowledge on NATs to highlight their underlying mechanisms of functions in cancer biology, discuss their potential roles in therapeutic application, and explore future research directions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY