Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules longer than 200 nucleotides that do not encode proteins yet play surprisingly active roles in controlling how genes are switched on or off, how chromatin is organized, and how cells commit to specific identities during development. In cancer, dysregulation of lncRNAs can disrupt these controls—altering transcriptional programs, rewiring epigenetic marks, or interfering with competing endogenous RNA networks in ways that drive tumor growth, invasion, or resistance to treatment. Researchers are now working to build a functional classification of the thousands of lncRNAs identified by large-scale transcriptomic studies, distinguishing those that are incidental bystanders from those with genuine causal roles in disease. A central open question is how lncRNAs achieve molecular specificity—how a given molecule finds its correct genomic targets or protein partners—which remains a barrier to translating mechanistic findings into therapeutic strategies.

Works

126,557

Total citations

2,257,748

Keywords

Long Noncoding RNAsCancerRNA RegulationEpigenetic RegulationTranscriptional LandscapeCell Differentiation