Advances in Tumor Virology

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in a wide range of oncogenic processes, including malignant transformation, epigenetic reprogramming, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and metastasis development. LncRNAs induced by oncogenic viral proteins were shown to play critical roles in tumor initiation and progression. Despite this, little is known about Human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced modulation of host’s lncRNAs. In this review, we gathered published information about altered lncRNAs upon HPV status (infection/protein activity), making use of descriptive research works and published gene expression microarray experiments. A diversity of lncRNAs demonstrated to be altered, including metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), H19, and maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3). Their functions in several cancers were reviewed, indicating that they may represent potential candidates for future research on HPV-induced oncogenesis.