PIWI‑interacting RNA is a class of non‑coding small RNA that is ~30 nt long and is primarily found in mammalian germ cells from mice and humans. In cooperation with the members of PIWI protein family, this macromolecule participates in germ cell development, inhibits DNA self‑-replication and maintains genomic stability. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that PIWI‑interacting RNA (piRNAs) are abnormally expressed in various human cancers, such as liver cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, etc. piRNAs abnormal expression is also associated with the occurrence and development of human cancers, such as liver cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, etc. Despite their unclear molecular mechanisms, piRNAs may act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors by interacting with multiple cancer‑related signal pathways including STAT3/Bcl‑xl or coding genes, such as heat shock transcription factor‑1. Hence, piRNAs may be potential markers and targets and provide new opportunities for cancer diagnosis, treatment or prognosis monitoring. The current review mainly aims to highlight the latest research progress made in the biological functions and regulation of piRNAs in mammals, their involvement in various cancer forms and their potential clinical applications.

中文翻译：

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癌症中的 PIWI 相互作用 RNA：分子机制和可能的临床意义（综述）。

PIWI 相互作用 RNA 是一类长度约为 30 nt 的非编码小 RNA，主要存在于小鼠和人类的哺乳动物生殖细胞中。该大分子与 PIWI 蛋白家族成员合作，参与生殖细胞发育，抑制 DNA 自我复制并保持基因组稳定性。越来越多的证据表明 PIWI 相互作用 RNA (piRNAs) 在各种人类癌症中异常表达，如肝癌、胃癌、结直肠癌、骨肉瘤、乳腺癌、肺癌、前列腺癌等。piRNAs 的异常表达也与随着人类癌症的发生和发展，如肝癌、胃癌、结直肠癌等，尽管其分子机制尚不清楚，piRNA 可能通过与多种癌症相关信号通路（包括 STAT3/Bcl-xl 或编码基因（如热休克转录因子 - 1）相互作用）充当致癌基因或肿瘤抑制因子。因此，piRNA 可能是潜在的标志物和靶标，并为癌症诊断、治疗或预后监测提供新的机会。目前的综述主要旨在突出在哺乳动物中piRNA的生物学功能和调控方面取得的最新研究进展，它们在各种癌症形式中的参与及其潜在的临床应用。