Long non-coding RNA SPRY4-IT1: a new player in different diseases

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to a class of RNA molecules with poor protein coding potential and are usually larger than 200 nucleotides. SPRY4-IT1, a member of lncRNA, is derived from an intronic region within the SPRY4 gene. And accumulating evidence demonstrates that aberrant expression of SPRY4-IT1 is involved in the development of various diseases such as melanoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), renal cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and preeclampsia. SPRY4-IT1 is significantly related to not only progression and prognosis of diseases but also cell proliferation, migration, invasion. SPRY4-IT1 contributes to various diseases via different molecular mechanism such as regulating the expression of proteins related to cell growth and migration, involving in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), affecting lipid metabolism, and regulating downstream gene expression. Moreover, SPRY4-IT1 can also be regulated by some epigenetic factors including Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Therefore, SPRY4-IT1 may be a novel prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic candidate for different diseases including various solid cancers and preeclampsia.