Biomed Pharmacother 2021 May 26;137:111402. Epub 2021 Feb 26.
Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan Universities, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ Transplantation, Zhengzhou 450052, China. Electronic address:
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a newly identified class of non-coding RNA (ncRNA), are defined as RNA molecules at least 200 nucleotides in length that are not translated into proteins. LncRNAs contribute to a wide range of biological processes and are master regulators of disease occurrence, development, and response to therapy in human malignancies. The lncRNA prostate cancer‑associated transcript 6 (PCAT6) is upregulated in various human malignancies, including lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, cervical cancer, osteosarcoma, glioblastoma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. High expression of PCAT6 is closely correlated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognosis in cancer patients, suggesting it is an oncogenic lncRNA. PCAT6 overexpression also facilitates cell proliferation, invasion, and migration while attenuating apoptosis, indicating that it might serve as a new prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for malignancies. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms, regulatory functions, and potential clinical applications of PCAT6 in cancer.