Long non-coding RNAs - regulators of autophagy and potential biomarkers in therapy resistance and urological cancers

Sep 21, 2026

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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a large class of non-coding RNAs that do not encode proteins and can be detected in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Increasing evidence links lncRNAs to tumorigenesis and to the regulation of autophagy, a programmed cell-death process that shows dual roles in early versus advanced cancer stages. The overview discusses how lncRNA-driven autophagy changes may modulate apoptosis, proliferation, metastasis, and therapy response in prostate, bladder, and renal cancers, and highlights their diagnostic and prognostic biomarker potential for therapy resistance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

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Introduction

Highlights

Long non-coding RNAs and autophagy in urological cancers

Therapy response and potential biomarkers

TYPE Review PUBLISHED 24 October 2024 DOI 10.3389/fphar.2024.1442227 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Hailin Tang, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC), China REVIEWED BY Xiumei Wang, Inner Mongolia Cancer Hospital & Afﬁliated People ’s Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, China Zhongyu Han, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Hai Huang, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China *CORRESPONDENCE Mingqing Zhang, [zmq2568@126.com](zmq2568@126.com) RECEIVED 01 June 2024 ACCEPTED 14 October 2024 PUBLISHED 24 October 2024 CITATION Wang S, Bai Y, Ma J, Qiao L and Zhang M (2024) Long non-coding RNAs: regulators of autophagy and potential biomarkers in therapy resistance and urological cancers. Front. Pharmacol. 15:1442227 . doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1442227 COPYRIGHT © 2024 Wang, Bai, Ma, Qiao and Zhang. This isan open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Long non-coding RNAs: regulators of autophagy and potential biomarkers in therapy resistance and urological cancers Shizong Wang 1,2, Yang Bai 1,2, Jie Ma 1,2, Liang Qiao 1,2 and Mingqing Zhang 1,2* 1Department of Urology, Weifang People ’s Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, China, 2Shangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Urological Diseases in Medicine and Health, Weifang, Shandong, China The non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) comprise a large part of human genome that mainly do not code for proteins. Although ncRNAs were ﬁrst believed to be nonfunctional, the more investigations highlighted tthe possibility of ncRNAs in controlling vital biological processes. The length of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exceeds 200 nucleotidesand can be present in nucleus and cytoplasm. LncRNAs do not translate to proteins and they have been implicated in the regulation of tumorigenesis. On the other hand, One way cells die is by a process called autophagy, which breaks down proteins and other components in the cytoplasm., while the aberrant activation of autophagy allegedly involved in the pathogenesis of diseases. The autophagy exerts anticancer activity in pre-cancerous lesions, while it has oncogenic function in advanced stages of cancers. The current overview focuses on the connection between lncRNAs and autophagy in urological cancers is discussed. Notably, one possible role for lncRNAs is as diagnostic and prognostic variablesin urological cancers. The proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis and therapy response in prostate, bladder and renal cancers are regulated by lncRNAs. The changes in autophagy levels can also inﬂuence the apoptosis, proliferation and therapy response in urological tumors. Since lncRNAs have modulatory functions, they can affect autophagy mechanism to determine progression of urological cancers. KEYWORDS prostate cancer, non-coding RNAs, autophagy and apoptosis, bladder cancer, renal cancer, biomarkers, therapy resistance Highlights • LncRNAs are considered as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets inurological cancers. • Autophagy is programmed cell death pathway exerting dual function in cancer progresion. • LncRNAs can change proliferation, metastasis and therapy response inurological cancers. • The lncRNA-driven regulation of autophagy determines the progression of urological cancers. • Both lncRNAs and autophagy possess dual function in urological cancers, making it difﬁcult to target them in cancer therapy. Frontiers in Pharmacology 01 [frontiersin.org](frontiersin.org) 1 Introduction Considering that cancer is an illness that is responsible for a high rate

FAQs

What role do long non-coding RNAs play in urological cancers?

Long non-coding RNAs regulate tumorigenesis and influence key cancer behaviors including proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, and therapy response in prostate, bladder, and renal cancers.

How is autophagy connected to therapy resistance in urological cancers?

Autophagy levels can affect apoptosis and proliferation, which in turn influence therapy response. LncRNAs may modulate autophagy mechanisms and thereby contribute to progression and therapy resistance.

Why are lncRNAs considered potential biomarkers?

The text highlights lncRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic variables, with lncRNA-driven regulation of autophagy affecting disease progression, making them relevant for biomarker development.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Eden