Interactome of Long Non-Coding RNAs: Transcriptomic Expression Patterns and Shaping Cancer Cell Phenotypes

Abstract

RNA biology has gained extensive recognition in the last two decades due to the identification of novel transcriptomic elements and molecular functions. Cancer arises, in part, due to the accumulation of mutations that greatly contribute to genomic instability. However, the identification of differential gene expression patterns of wild-type loci has exceeded the boundaries of mutational study and has significantly contributed to the identification of molecular mechanisms that drive carcinogenic transformation. Non-coding RNA molecules have provided a novel avenue of exploration, providing additional routes for evaluating genomic and epigenomic regulation. Of particular focus, long non-coding RNA molecule expression has been demonstrated to govern and direct cellular activity, thus evidencing a correlation between aberrant long non-coding RNA expression and the pathological transformation of cells. lncRNA classification, structure, function, and therapeutic utilization have expanded cancer studies and molecular targeting, and understanding the lncRNA interactome aids in defining the unique transcriptomic signatures of cancer cell phenotypes.