The Biological Role and Translational Implications of the Long Non-Coding RNA in Breast Cancer

The lncRNA plays a significant role in tumorigenicity and progression of breast cancer (BC). In this review, we first summarize the role of in cell biology, focusing on its expression data in human normal tissues. We present data on expression in human BC tissues, highlighting its downregulation in all major BC classes. The main findings regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying dysregulation are discussed, including DNA hypermethylation of the CpG island located in the promoter region of the gene. We focused on the action of as a miRNA sponge, which is able to sequester microRNAs and modulate the expression levels of their mRNA targets, particularly those involved in cell invasion, apoptosis, and drug response. In the second part, we highlight the translational implications of in BC. We discuss the current knowledge on the role of as candidate prognostic factor, a responsive molecular therapeutic target, and a circulating biomarker in liquid biopsies with clinical importance in BC. The findings position as a promising druggable biomolecule and stimulate the development of strategies to restore its expression levels for novel therapeutic approaches that could benefit BC patients in the future.