Non-Coding RNAs in Pediatric Solid Tumors
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Frontiers in Genetics, 2019, 10
- Issue Date:
- 2019-09-20
Open Access
Copyright Clearance Process
- Recently Added
- In Progress
- Open Access
This item is open access.
© Copyright © 2019 Smith, Catchpoole and Hutvagner. Pediatric solid tumors are a diverse group of extracranial solid tumors representing approximately 40% of childhood cancers. Pediatric solid tumors are believed to arise as a result of disruptions in the developmental process of precursor cells which lead them to accumulate cancerous phenotypes. In contrast to many adult tumors, pediatric tumors typically feature a low number of genetic mutations in protein-coding genes which could explain the emergence of these phenotypes. It is likely that oncogenesis occurs after a failure at many different levels of regulation. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) comprise a group of functional RNA molecules that lack protein coding potential but are essential in the regulation and maintenance of many epigenetic and post-translational mechanisms. Indeed, research has accumulated a large body of evidence implicating many ncRNAs in the regulation of well-established oncogenic networks. In this review we cover a range of extracranial solid tumors which represent some of the rarer and enigmatic childhood cancers known. We focus on two major classes of ncRNAs, microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, which are likely to play a key role in the development of these cancers and emphasize their functional contributions and molecular interactions during tumor formation.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: