The Roles, Mechanisms, and Clinical Significance of Long Non-coding RNA MSC-AS1 in Cancer

Musculin antisense RNA 1 (MSC-AS1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) located on human chromosome 8q13.3-q21.11. Emerging evidence shows that MSC-AS1 is either upregulated or downregulated in 16 types of human cancers, and is associated with clinical pathological features and patient prognosis in 12 of these cancers. It is widely believed that the dysregulation of MSCAS1 contributes to tumor cell growth, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression, metabolic reprogramming, and drug resistance formation. Mechanistically, MSC-AS1 can act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging 14 miRNAs to affect the expression of downstream mRNAs, or it may directly interact with proteins, both of which contribute to the activation of the PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. Our review study suggests that MSC-AS1 is a potential cancer biomarker and therapeutic target. In summary, we have explained the research on MSC-AS1 related to cancer treatment, its expression patterns, functional characteristics, and molecular mechanisms in malignant tumors. We have further emphasized its significance in clinical prognosis and therapeutic applications.