Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Long considered transcriptional noise, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), are now recognized as central regulators of cellular function, acting as scaffolds, structural elements, and regulators of gene expression. This expanding functional landscape is reshaping our understanding of cancer biology, immune regulation, and the limits of translation itself. Beyond gene regulation, lncRNAs may be implicated in the earliest stages of oncogenic transformation, orchestrating molecular reprogramming and remodeling of the immune microenvironment in premalignant lesions. Their functional analysis has further exposed an unexpected translational dimension with some lncRNAs harboring open reading frames encoding micropeptides. These cryptic micropeptides constitute an underexplored dimension of the immunopeptidome that could shape T-cell development and antitumor immunity, with implications for cancer immunosurveillance and therapeutic targeting. Collectively, these findings call for a revised molecular dogma in which the noncoding genome is recognized as a major regulator of cellular function, oncogenic transformation, and immune surveillance.
Source: OncoImmunology
Institutions: Inserm, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, La Ligue Contre le Cancer, Laboratoire d’immunologie intégrative du cancer, UCLouvain, Institut Universitaire de France, Université de Lille, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse
Language: English
Subfield: Cancer Research
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,913
Funders: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut National Du Cancer, Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Qatar National Research Fund, Inserm Transfert, Labex Immuno-Oncology
OpenAlex ID: W7204478747