MALAT1 as a Versatile Regulator of Cancer: Overview of the updates from Predatory role as Competitive Endogenous RNA to Mechanistic In-sights

Central dogma of molecular biology has remained cornerstone of classical molecular biology but serendipitous discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) in nematodes paradigmatically shifted our current understanding of the intricate mech-anisms which occur during transitions from transcription to translation. Discovery of miRNA captured tremendous attention and appreciation and we had witnessed an explosion in the field of non-coding RNAs. Ground-breaking discoveries in the field of non-coding RNAs have helped in better characterization of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs). There is an ever-increasing list of miRNA targets which are regulated by MALAT1 to stimulate or repress expression of tar-get genes. However, in this review our main focus is to summarize mechanistic insights related to MALAT1-mediated regu-lation of oncogenic signaling pathways. We have discussed how MALAT1 modulated TGF/SMAD and Hippo pathways in various cancers. We have also comprehensively summarized how JAK/STAT and Wnt/β-catenin pathways stimulated MALAT1 expression and consequentially how MALAT1 potentiated these signaling cascades to promote cancer. MALAT1 research has undergone substantial broadening however, there is still a need to identify additional mechanisms. MALAT1 is involved in multi-layered regulation of multiple transduction cascades and detailed analysis of different pathways will be helpful in getting a step closer to individualized medicine.