Non-coding RNA Research

Non-coding RNA Research

Volume 3, Issue 3, September 2018, Pages 131-143
Non-coding RNA Research

BC200 (BCYRN1) – The shortest, long, non-coding RNA associated with cancer

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncrna.2018.05.003Get rights and content
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Abstract

With the discovery that the level of RNA synthesis in human cells far exceeds what is required to express protein-coding genes, there has been a concerted scientific effort to identify, catalogue and uncover the biological functions of the non-coding transcriptome. Long, non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a diverse group of RNAs with equally wide-ranging biological roles in the cell. An increasing number of studies have reported alterations in the expression of lncRNAs in various cancers, although unravelling how they contribute specifically to the disease is a bigger challenge. Originally described as a brain-specific, non-coding RNA, BC200 (BCYRN1) is a 200-nucleotide, predominantly cytoplasmic lncRNA that has been linked to neurodegenerative disease and several types of cancer. Here we summarise what is known about BC200, primarily from studies in neuronal systems, before turning to a review of recent work that aims to understand how this lncRNA contributes to cancer initiation, progression and metastasis, along with its possible clinical utility as a biomarker or therapeutic target.

Keywords

Long non-coding RNA
lncRNA
Cancer
BC200
BCYRN1
Translational regulation
RNA-protein interactions

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