AUTHOR=Zhou Qinfeng , Liu Lianfang , Zhou Jing , Chen Yuanyuan , Xie Dacheng , Yao Yinan , Cui Dawei 

TITLE=Novel Insights Into MALAT1 Function as a MicroRNA Sponge in NSCLC

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.758653

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.758653

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>The long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript-1 (<italic>MALAT1</italic>) was initially found to be overexpressed in early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Accumulating studies have shown that <italic>MALAT1</italic> is overexpressed in the tissue or serum of NSCLC and plays a key role in its occurrence and development. In addition, the expression level of <italic>MALAT1</italic> is significantly related to the tumor size, stage, metastasis, and distant invasion of NSCLC. Therefore, <italic>MALAT1</italic> could be used as a biomarker for the early diagnosis, severity assessment, or prognosis evaluation of NSCLC patients. This review describes the basic properties and biological functions of <italic>MALAT1</italic>, focuses on the specific molecular mechanism of <italic>MALAT1</italic> as a microRNA sponge in the occurrence and development of NSCLC in recent years, and emphasizes the application and potential prospect of <italic>MALAT1</italic> in molecular biological markers and targeted therapy of NSCLC.</p>