Non-coding DNA molecules could play a crucial role in health and disease, and may hold promise as biomarkers for detecting malignancies such as esophageal cancer, according to a study by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The team performed the first discovery and characterisation of a specialised sub-class of “long intergenic” non-coding RNA molecules in esophageal malignancy. A panel of these molecules was turned on in cancer tissues and in pre-malignant tissues, and could be detected in patient biopsy tissues using routine imaging. Furthermore, these RNA molecules appear to inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cells by regulating other genes potentially involved in cancer development, thus providing opportunities for therapeutic targeting.
