Special issue on circRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs in human cancer: targets and therapy

In the human genome, approximately 10% of all RNAs are stably transcribed; however, only 1% of these sequences encode proteins, with the rest of the 9% encodes neither protein nor ribosomal RNA. Nonetheless, these non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are not just intermediates that ensure the transfer of genetic information from DNA to protein but, are also biologically active RNAs.

With the development of genomic technologies, an increasing number of new ncRNAs and their biological functions are being discovered. NcRNAs play an important role in the development, metabolism and diseases of living organisms. NcRNAs are also involved in the regulation of gene expression at various levels, including chromatin modification, transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes, and gene methylation.

NcRNAs are divided into two main classes based on the size of their transcript: small ncRNAs and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs). Small ncRNAs consist of 18–27 bp and include microRNAs (miRNAs), PIWI protein-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and others. Unlike small ncRNAs, lncRNAs are a class of mRNA-like transcripts that do not have a significant open reading frame. Their size varies from 200 to 100,000 bp.

CircRNAs are closed-loop ncRNAs with a special structure; they can exist without proteins and is not affected by exonucleases, and is widely found in cells to regulate gene expression. Increasingly, circRNAs have become the subject of research in recent years as high throughput sequencing technology has become more mature.

It has already been shown that some ncRNAs function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, and contribute to the appearance and development of tumors. However, disturbances in their expression can also cause various diseases. Meanwhile, ncRNAs are now being considered as new biomarkers in cancer and as targets for therapy.

For this special issue, we welcome original papers, brief reports and literature reviews with a focus on role of non-coding RNAs, in particular circRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs, in the treatment of various cancers. The scope will also include the change in traditional approaches to cancer therapy based on the use of various types of non-coding RNAs.

Topics will include but not limited to:

• NcRNAs in diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of cancer
• Recent developments in antisense oligomers, antagomirs, RNA-based therapeutic agents and RNA-targeting small molecule drugs
• Novel concepts in RNA-based drugs delivery
• Novel technical and methodological approaches in the discovery of ncRNAs
• Novel strategies for quantification and normalization of circulating ncRNAs
• Circulating ncRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers in cancer
• Translational studies and clinical trials related to the use of RNA-based therapies and biomarkers in cancer

Important deadlines:

• Submission deadline (for full papers): 31 August 2023
• Publication date: upon acceptance

Submission instructions:

Please read the Guide for Authors before submitting. All articles should be submitted online; please select the special issue “CircRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs in human cancer: targets and therapy”.

Manuscripts will be reviewed and published on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all accepted manuscripts are published, they will be gathered together in this special issue.

Guest editors:

• Ozal Beylerli, MD, PhD, Рeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation. obeylerli@mail.ru
• Aamir Ahmad, PhD, Professor, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, aamirahmad100@gmail.com