Gastric cancer is currently the third leading cause of
cancer-related deaths worldwide, usually diagnosed at late stages. The development of new
biomarkers to improve its prevention and patient management is critical for disease control.
piRNAs are small regulatory RNAs important for gene silencing mechanisms, mainly associated with the silencing of
transposable elements.
piRNA pathways may also be involved in gene regulation and the deregulation of
piRNAs may be an important factor in carcinogenic processes. Thus, several studies suggest
piRNAs as potential
cancer biomarkers. Translational studies suggest that
piRNAs may regulate key genes and pathways associated with
gastric cancer progression, though there is no functional annotation in
piRNA databases. The impacts of genetic variants in
piRNA genes and their influence in
gastric cancer development remains elusive, highlighting the gap in
piRNA regulatory mechanisms knowledge. Here, we discuss the current state of understanding of
piRNA-mediated regulation and
piRNA functions and suggest that genetic alterations in
piRNA genes may affect their functionality, thus, it may be associated with gastric
carcinogenesis.
CONCLUSIONS: