GATA transcription factors, defined by their zinc finger DNA-binding domains, are central regulators of tissue development. They modulate gene expression by activating or repressing transcription, thereby coordinating cellular differentiation and cell cycle exit to maintain homeostasis. In progenitor cells, GATA factors promote proliferation, whereas in differentiating cells, they drive maturation and induce cell cycle arrest. Dysregulation of GATA factors has been linked to tumorigenesis and contributes significantly to cancer progression and metastasis. Mutations in GATA factor genes correlate with poor prognosis in multiple cancers, where they influence key oncogenic processes, including sustained proliferative signaling, activation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, resistance to cell death, and immune escape. Importantly, their context-dependent roles across tumor types highlight the complexity of their functions in malignancies. Meanwhile, non-coding RNAs have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression, acting as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes by modulating chromatin dynamics, transcription factor activity, and mRNA stability. Despite this, the regulation of GATA transcriptional activity by non-coding RNAs remains largely unexplored. This review highlights the role of GATA factors in regulating EMT and metastasis and focuses on the interplay between non-coding RNAs and GATA transcription factors in cancer progression, proposing a novel regulatory axis with potential implications for biomarker discovery and therapeutic targeting.
GATA转录因子通过其锌指DNA结合结构域发挥作用，是组织发育的核心调控因子。它们通过激活或抑制转录来调节基因表达，从而协调细胞分化和细胞周期退出以维持稳态。在祖细胞中，GATA因子促进增殖，而在分化细胞中则驱动成熟并诱导细胞周期停滞。GATA因子的失调与肿瘤发生相关，并显著促进癌症进展和转移。GATA因子基因的突变与多种癌症的不良预后相关，这些突变影响关键的致癌过程，包括持续增殖信号传导、上皮-间质转化的激活、血管生成、细胞死亡抵抗和免疫逃逸。重要的是，它们在不同肿瘤类型中的环境依赖性作用凸显了其在恶性肿瘤中功能的复杂性。与此同时，非编码RNA已成为基因表达的关键调控因子，通过调节染色质动态、转录因子活性和mRNA稳定性，发挥肿瘤抑制因子或癌基因的作用。尽管如此，非编码RNA对GATA转录活性的调控在很大程度上仍未得到探索。本综述重点探讨GATA因子在调控上皮-间质转化和转移中的作用，并聚焦于非编码RNA与GATA转录因子在癌症进展中的相互作用，提出一个具有潜在生物标志物发现和治疗靶向意义的新型调控轴。
Non-Coding RNA-GATA Axis: Mechanisms and Implications in Cancer Progression and Metastases
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家