Mechanisms of Epigenetic Factors Involvement in the Development of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is associated with various polymorphisms in the human genome, many of which are localized in intergenic, regulatory and intronic regions where genes for non-coding RNA and mobile elements are located. Therefore, the discovered associations exert their influence on bladder cancer development by changing the activity of non-coding RNAs and mobile elements. This is reflected in DNA methylation abnormalities, since miRNAs serve as guides for RNA-dependent DNA methylation and retroelements are competing endogenous RNAs for miRNAs. Scientific literature analysis has shown the involvement of a large number of long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs in bladder cancer development. These molecules can function as oncogenes and as tumor suppressors depending on their target genes. A combined effect of long non-coding RNAs with microRNAs (TINCR/miR7, RP11-89/ miR-129-5p, CASC11/miR-150, LUCAT1/miR-181c-5p, KCNQIOT1/miR-218-5p, GAS6-AS6/miR-298, BCCE4/miR-328-3p, KCNMB2-AS1/miR-374a, SNHG1/miR-493, TUG1/miR-582-5p, UCA1/ miR-582-5p, LINC00958/miR-625, DDX11-AS1/miR-2355-5p, ARAP1-AS1/miR-3918, BACH1-IT2/ miR-4786) was revealed, as well as the role of 28 retroelement-derived microRNAs in bladder cancer carcinogenesis. The activation of retroelements, which serve as driver of epigenetic regulation, has been described and confirmed in a number of clinical studies.