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Review
. 2021 May 26;22(11):5640.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22115640.

Current Advances on the Important Roles of Enhancer RNAs in Molecular Pathways of Cancer

Rui Wang  1 , Qianzi Tang  1
Affiliations
Review

Current Advances on the Important Roles of Enhancer RNAs in Molecular Pathways of Cancer

Rui Wang et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Enhancers are critical genomic elements that can cooperate with promoters to regulate gene transcription in both normal and cancer cells. Recent studies reveal that enhancer regions are transcribed to produce a class of noncoding RNAs referred to as enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). Emerging evidence shows that eRNAs play important roles in enhancer activation and enhancer-driven gene regulation, and the expression of eRNAs may be a critical factor in tumorigenesis. The important roles of eRNAs in cancer signaling pathways are also gradually unveiled, providing a new insight into cancer therapy. Here, we review the roles of eRNAs in regulating cancer signaling pathways and discuss the potential of eRNA-targeted therapy for human cancers.

Keywords: cancer signaling pathway; cancer therapy; eRNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
eRNAs regulate gene expression by promoting enhancer–promoter looping.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pathways regulated by eRNA and pathways regulating eRNA expression. (A) eRNA CCAT1 activates PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK1/2 signaling pathways. (B) Expression of LPS-induced eRNAs is regulated by divergent signaling pathways.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pipeline for eRNA detection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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