Role of HOXA transcript antisense RNA myeloid-specific 1 in cancer (Review).

A newly recognized class of master regulators known as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has emerged as key modulators of cancer. Among them, HOXA transcript antisense RNA myeloid-specific 1 (HOTAIRM1) was initially identified in acute promyelocytic leukemia, where it resides within the HOXA gene cluster. The involvement of HOTAIRM1 has been indicated in the pathogenesis of multiple cancer types, including glioma, acute myeloid leukemia and osteosarcoma, has been well documented. HOTAIRM1 controls the growth, invasion and migration of tumors through different mechanisms and it is associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with tumors. The present review describes the expression, function and molecular mechanism of HOTAIRM1 in different types of cancer and discusses the future obstacles in diagnosing and treating malignant tumors.