Potential Links between ANRIL and MiRNAs in Various Cancers

Abstract

Non-coding RNAs are mainly divided into two categories, one is small non-coding RNA represented by miRNA, and the other is long non-coding RNA longer than 200 bp. Further studies on non-coding RNAs have revealed that long non-coding RNAs not only have carcinogenic effects, but also have potential links with miRNAs. Antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL/CDKN2B-AS1), one of the five subtypes of long non-coding RNA, has been proved to play a role of oncogene in many cancers, such as gastric cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Knockdown ANRIL can significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration of cancer cells, while also negatively regulating the expression of related miRNAs. This suggests that ANRIL may serve as a potential target for the development of drugs that provide new strategies to improve the effectiveness of cancer treatment. In our review, we summarize the current association between ANRIL and miRNAs in various cancers.

Keywords: ANRIL; cancers; lncRNA; miRNAs; molecular sponge; treatment.