Author Information
1Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore; Institute for Digital Medicine and Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
2Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address: xiangxq@fudan.edu.cn.
3Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine & Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University, Sector-125, Noida, 201313, India.
4Institute for Digital Medicine and Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore,
Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
5Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore; Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, 119228, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
6Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore; Institute for Digital Medicine and Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore. Electronic address: csiwl@nus.edu.sg.
7Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore; Institute for Digital Medicine and Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore; Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, 119228, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore. Electronic address: phcgbc@nus.edu.sg.
Abstract:
H19 long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has many functions in cancer. Some studies have reported that H19 acts as an oncogene and is involved in cancer progression by activating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), the cell cycle and angiogenesis via mechanisms like microRNA (miRNA) sponging – the binding to and inhibition of miRNA activity. This makes H19 lncRNA a potential target for cancer therapeutics. However, several conflicting studies have also found that H19 suppresses tumour development. In this review, we shed light on the possible reasons for these conflicting findings. We also summarise the current literature on the applications of H19 lncRNA in cancer therapy in many cancers and explore new avenues for future research. This includes the use of H19 in recombinant vectors, chemoresistance, epigenetic regulation, tumour microenvironment alteration and cancer immunotherapy. The relationship between H19 and the master tumour suppressor gene p53 is also explored. In most studies, H19 knockdown via RNA interference (RNAi) or epigenetic silencing inhibits cancer development. Thus, H19 lncRNA could be a promising target for the development of cancer therapeutics. This warrants further investigations into its translational research to improve cancer therapy outcomes.
Keywords: Cancer therapeutics; H19; Long non-coding RNA; Oncogene; Tumour suppressor.
PMID: 33221454 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.11.006