Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2015; 21(17): 5220-5230
Published online May 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i17.5220
Roles of long non-coding RNAs in gastric cancer metastasis
Zi-Guo Yang, Ling Gao, Xiao-Bo Guo, Yu-Long Shi
Zi-Guo Yang, Xiao-Bo Guo, Yu-Long Shi, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, China
Ling Gao, Department of Endocrinology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Clinical Medical Center of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shandong Academy of Clinical Medicine, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Yang ZG and Guo XB wrote the paper; Gao L provided financial support; Gao L, Guo XB and Shi YL reviewed and edited the manuscript.
Supported by Grants from National Youthful Science Foundation of China, No. 81101858 and No. 81302147; Youthful Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China, No. BS2013YY045.
Conflict-of-interest: We declare that we have no competing interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Xiao-Bo Guo, Associated professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, No. 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, China. xiaoboguo@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-531-68777198 Fax: +86-531-68776200
Received: November 19, 2014
Peer-review started: November 20, 2014
First decision: December 26, 2014
Revised: January 18, 2015
Accepted: March 27, 2015
Article in press: March 27, 2015
Published online: May 7, 2015
Abstract

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Metastasis, which is an important element of gastric cancer, leads to a high mortality rate and to a poor prognosis. Gastric cancer metastasis has a complex progression that involves multiple biological processes. The comprehensive mechanisms of metastasis remain unclear, though traditional regulation modulates the molecular functions associated with metastasis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a role in different gene regulatory pathways by epigenetic modification and by transcriptional and post-transcription regulation. lncRNAs participate in various diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The altered expressions of certain lncRNAs are linked to gastric cancer metastasis and invasion, as with tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. Studies have partly elucidated the roles of lncRNAs as biomarkers and in therapies, as well as their gene regulatory mechanisms. However, comprehensive knowledge regarding the functional mechanisms of gene regulation in metastatic gastric cancer remains scarce. To provide a theoretical basis for therapeutic intervention in metastatic gastric cancer, we reviewed the functions of lncRNAs and their regulatory roles in gastric cancer metastasis.

Keywords: Long non-coding RNAs, Gastric cancer, Metastasis, Function, Development

Core tip: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are emerging as players in multiple biological processes, and are involved in many diseases via the regulation of gene expression at the chromatin, transcriptional, or posttranscriptional level. Their roles in gastric carcinoma metastasis are quite complex; however, the comprehensive study of metastasis will provide us with new perspectives to develop future therapeutic treatments. lncRNAs, which play pivotal roles in gastric cancer metastasis, may help provide future treatments to improve the quality of life of patients with metastatic gastric cancer.