Crosstalk Between Long Non-coding RNAs, Micro-RNAs and mRNAs: Deciphering Molecular Mechanisms of Master Regulators in Cancer

• Main Authors: Eduardo López-Urrutia, Lilia P. Bustamante Montes, Diego Ladrón de Guevara Cervantes, Carlos Pérez-Plasencia, Alma D. Campos-Parra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-07-01
• Series: Frontiers in Oncology
• Subjects: cancer; long non-conding RNAs; miRNAs; mRNAs; angiogenesis; vascularization
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fonc.2019.00669/full

Cancer is a complex disease, and its study requires deep understanding of several biological processes and their regulation. It is an accepted fact that non-coding RNAs are vital components of the regulation and cross-talk among cancer-related signaling pathways that favor tumor aggressiveness and metastasis, such as neovascularization, angiogenesis, and vasculogenic mimicry. Both long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and micro-RNAs (miRNAs) have been described as master regulators of cancer on their own; yet there is accumulating evidence that, besides regulating mRNA expression through independent mechanisms, these classes of non-coding RNAs interact with each other directly, fine-tuning the effects of their regulation. While still relatively scant, research on the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis regulation is growing at a fast rate, it is only in the last 5 years, that lncRNA-miRNA interactions have been identified in tumor-related vascular processes. In this review, we summarize the current progress of research on the cross-talk between lncRNAs and miRNAs in the regulation of neovascularization, angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry.