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Review
. 2022 Jan 27:9:848105.
doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.848105. eCollection 2022.

PIWI-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs): Promising Applications as Emerging Biomarkers for Digestive System Cancer

Aiting Cai  1 , Yuhao Hu  1 , Zhou Zhou  1 , Qianyi Qi  1 , Yixuan Wu  1 , Peixin Dong  2 , Lin Chen  3 , Feng Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

PIWI-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs): Promising Applications as Emerging Biomarkers for Digestive System Cancer

Aiting Cai et al. Front Mol Biosci. .

Abstract

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a novel type of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), which are 26-31 nucleotides in length and bind to PIWI proteins. Although piRNAs were originally discovered in germline cells and are thought to be essential regulators for germline preservation, they can also influence gene expression in somatic cells. An increasing amount of data has shown that the dysregulation of piRNAs can both promote and repress the emergence and progression of human cancers through DNA methylation, transcriptional silencing, mRNA turnover, and translational control. Digestive cancers are currently a major cause of cancer deaths worldwide. piRNAs control the expression of essential genes and pathways associated with digestive cancer progression and have been reported as possible biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of digestive cancer. Here, we highlight recent advances in understanding the involvement of piRNAs, as well as potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of piRNAs in various digestive cancers.

Keywords: Piwi-interacting RNA; cancer biomarker; diagnosis; digestive system cancer; prognosis; therapeutic target.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Workflow for piRNA discovery and analysis. First, a candidate piRNA was identified from a pool of RNAs through high-throughput approaches. After validation, gain-of-function or loss-of-function models were generated and the functional impact of a piRNA was assessed. By using pulldown assay or reporter assay, those molecules that interact with piRNAs (proteins or RNAs) could be determined.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The expression and underlying mechanisms of piRNAs in digestive system cancers. Oncogenic and anti-oncogenic piRNAs and their influence on the downstream pathways in digestive system cancers are shown. The up arrow indicates oncogenic piRNAs that are upregulated in digestive system cancers, while the down arrow suggests tumor-suppressive piRNAs that are downregulated in digestive system cancers.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The clinical application of piRNAs in digestive system cancers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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