Long Non-Coding RNAs in Melanoma Development and Biology

Melanoma is the most aggressive and deadly type of skin cancer and presents a major clinical challenge due to its ability to rapidly metastasize and become resistant to immune and targeted therapies. The identification and characterization of new molecular targets and pathways involved in the initiation, progression, and maintenance of melanoma will be critical for the development of superior treatments. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs involved in regulating numerous cellular processes including tumor progression, cancer cell metastasis, and resistance to anti-cancer therapies, may be viable therapeutic targets in melanoma. In this review, we describe lncRNAs that contribute to melanoma development through microRNA (miRNA) sponging, regulation of metabolism, modification of the epigenome, or modulation of pro-tumorigenic signaling pathways. While more work remains to be done to characterize lncRNAs in melanoma, gaining a better understanding of their functions promises to yield a wide range of possibilities to improve melanoma diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.