Insight Into Chromatin-Enriched RNA: A Key Chromatin Regulator in Tumors

Jixing Zhang; Tianyi Ding; He Zhang

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.649605

Insight Into Chromatin-Enriched RNA: A Key Chromatin Regulator in Tumors

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Apr 14:9:649605. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.649605. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jixing Zhang^{1

2}, Tianyi Ding^{1

2}, He Zhang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
² Frontier Science Research Center for Stem Cells, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Chromatin-enriched RNAs (cheRNAs) constitute a special class of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are enriched around chromatin and function to activate neighboring or distal gene transcription. Recent studies have shown that cheRNAs affect chromatin structure and gene expression by recruiting chromatin modifiers or acting as bridges between distal enhancers and promoters. The abnormal transcription of cheRNAs plays an important role in the occurrence of many diseases, particularly tumors. The critical effect of cancer stem cells (CSCs) on the formation and development of tumors is well known, but the function of cheRNAs in tumorigenesis, especially in CSC proliferation and stemness maintenance, is not yet fully understood. This review focuses on the mechanisms of cheRNAs in epigenetic regulation and chromatin conformation and discusses the way cheRNAs function in CSCs to deepen the understanding of tumorigenesis and provide novel insight to advance tumor-targeting therapy.

Keywords: R-loop; cancer stem cell; chromatin loop; chromatin-enriched RNA; tumor.

Publication types

Review