Noncoding RNAs and their therapeutics in paclitaxel chemotherapy: Mechanisms of initiation, progression, and drug sensitivity

Abstract

The identification of agents that can reverse drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy, andenhance the overall efficacy is of great interest. Paclitaxel (PTX) belongs to taxane family hat exerts an antitumor effect by stabilizing microtubules and inhibiting cell cycleprogression. However, PTX resistance often develops in tumors due to the over-expression of drug transporters and tumor‐promoting pathways. Noncoding RNAs(ncRNAs) are modulators of many processes in cancer cells, such as apoptosis, migration,differentiation, and angiogenesis. In the present study, we summarize the effects ofncRNAs on PTX chemotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can have opposite effects on PTXresistance (stimulation or inhibition) via influencing YES1, SK2, MRP1, and STAT3.Moreover, miRNAs modulate the growth and migration rates of tumor cells in regulatingPTX efficacy. PIWI‐interacting RNAs, small interfering RNAs, and short‐hairpin RNAs areother members of ncRNAs regulating PTX sensitivity of cancer cells. Long noncodingRNAs (LncRNAs) are similar to miRNAs and can modulate PTX resistance/sensitivity bytheir influence on miRNAs and drug efflux transport. The cytotoxicity of PTX againsttumor cells can also be affected by circular RNAs (circRNAs) and limitation is thatoncogenic circRNAs have been emphasized and experiments should also focus on onco‐suppressor circRNAs.