Open Access

REVIEW

LncRNAs unraveling their sponge role in glioblastoma and potential therapeutic applications

CAIJUAN LIU, XINGHAO LI, YUXUAN WU, JINHUI YANG, MENGHAN WANG, YUNQI MA^*

School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China

* Corresponding Author: YUNQI MA. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: MicroRNA as Biomarkers for Disease Diagnosis and Progression)

BIOCELL 2024, 48(3), 387-401. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2024.048791

Received 18 December 2023; Accepted 02 February 2024; Issue published 15 March 2024

Abstract

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, is the most malignant and still has no cure. However, the novel role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma is attracting extensive attention. LncRNAs are transcribed RNA molecules over 200 nucleotides long that do not encode proteins. Unlike small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), lncRNAs have more complex secondary and tertiary structures that enable them to interact with DNA, RNA, and proteins and perform multiple regulatory functions. LncRNAs act as molecular sponges, absorbing and sequestering other biomolecules, particularly miRNAs, thereby preventing these molecules from performing their normal functions. LncRNAs influence glioblastoma through gene expression regulation, molecular sponge capacity, epigenetic modulation, and signaling pathway interactions. In glioblastoma, a large number of lncRNAs have been found to be abnormally expressed, affecting tumor growth, invasion and resistance to treatment. Due to its regulatory role and disease-specific expression patterns, lncRNA has become a potential biomarker for glioblastoma and a promising new therapeutic target. This paper discusses the spongy role of lncRNAs in glioblastoma and its potential therapeutic applications, which will lay a foundation for our understanding of glioblastoma biology and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the future.

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