Title:Non-coding RNAs in Precursor Lesions of Colorectal Cancer:
Their Role in Cancer Initiation and Formation
Volume: 24
Issue: 5
Author(s): Somayeh Mohammadpour, Fatemeh Naderi Noukabadi, Amir Torshizi Esfahani, Fatemeh Kazemi, Sahar Esmaeili, Nikta Zafarjafarzadeh, SeyedKasra Sarpash and Ehsan Nazemalhosseini-Mojarad*
Affiliation:
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Noncoding RNAs, colorectal neoplasms, precursor lesion, mechanism, precancerous, cancer.
Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the world's most common types of
malignancy. The proliferation of precancerous lesions causes this type of cancer. Two
distinct pathways for CRC carcinogenesis have been identified: the conventional
adenoma-carcinoma pathway and the serrated neoplasia pathway. Recently, evidence
has demonstrated the regulatory roles of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the initiation and
progression of precancerous lesions, especially in the adenoma-carcinoma pathway and
serrated neoplasia pathway. By expanding the science of molecular genetics and
bioinformatics, several studies have identified dysregulated ncRNAs that function as
oncogenes or tumor suppressors in cancer initiation and formation by diverse
mechanisms via intracellular signaling pathways known to act on tumor cells. However,
many of their roles are still unclear. This review summarizes the functions and
mechanisms of ncRNAs (such as long non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, long intergenic
non-coding RNAs, small interfering RNAs, and circRNAs) in the initiation and formation
of precancerous lesions.
