Recent insights into the functions and mechanisms of antisense RNA: emerging applications in cancer therapy and precision medicine

Shahab Ur Rehman; Numan Ullah; Zhenbin Zhang; Yongkang Zhen; Aziz-Ud Din; Hengmi Cui; Mengzhi Wang

doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1335330

Recent insights into the functions and mechanisms of antisense RNA: emerging applications in cancer therapy and precision medicine

Front Chem. 2024 Jan 10:11:1335330. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1335330. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shahab Ur Rehman¹, Numan Ullah^#¹, Zhenbin Zhang¹, Yongkang Zhen², Aziz-Ud Din³, Hengmi Cui^{1

4}, Mengzhi Wang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Animals Science and Technology Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
² College of Animals Nutrition Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
³ Department of Human Genetics, Hazara University Mansehra, Mansehra, Pakistan.
⁴ Institute of Epigenetics and Epigenomics Yangzhou University, College of Animal Nutrition Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

The antisense RNA molecule is a unique DNA transcript consisting of 19-23 nucleotides, characterized by its complementary nature to mRNA. These antisense RNAs play a crucial role in regulating gene expression at various stages, including replication, transcription, and translation. Additionally, artificial antisense RNAs have demonstrated their ability to effectively modulate gene expression in host cells. Consequently, there has been a substantial increase in research dedicated to investigating the roles of antisense RNAs. These molecules have been found to be influential in various cellular processes, such as X-chromosome inactivation and imprinted silencing in healthy cells. However, it is important to recognize that in cancer cells; aberrantly expressed antisense RNAs can trigger the epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes. Moreover, the presence of deletion-induced aberrant antisense RNAs can lead to the development of diseases through epigenetic silencing. One area of drug development worth mentioning is antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and a prime example of an oncogenic trans-acting long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is HOTAIR (HOX transcript antisense RNA). NATs (noncoding antisense transcripts) are dysregulated in many cancers, and researchers are just beginning to unravel their roles as crucial regulators of cancer's hallmarks, as well as their potential for cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the emerging roles and mechanisms of antisense RNA and explore their application in cancer therapy.

Keywords: AntisenseRNA; RNA biology; cancer therapy; epigenetics regulation; precision medicine.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research is funded by the national 14th Five year Plan Key Research and Development Program (2021YFD1600702), the Key program of state key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production (NCG202232), the High end Foreign Expert Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology (G2023014066L), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institution (PAPD), P.R.China.