Novel insight into MALAT-1 in cancer: Therapeutic targets and clinical applications

Long non-protein-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important gene expression regulators that are linked to various biological processes at the post-transcriptional and transcriptional levels. lncRNAs are known to be important in cell proliferation, cell differentiation, apoptosis and metastasis. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT-1), a novel lncRNA, is highly conserved amongst mammals. In addition, it has been considered to act as an oncogene, depending on the tumor system. An increasing number of studies have indicated that MALAT-1 may be detected in certain types of human tumors, including lung and bladder cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. MALAT-1 silencing may be an effective therapeutic approach against tumors. The present study reviews the current knowledge on the functional role of MALAT-1 in the control of various cancers.