Regulation of Adaptive Tumor Immunity by Non-Coding RNAs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Recent advances in basic tumor immunology have enabled the development of cancer immunotherapies. These therapies harness the natural capacity of our adaptive immune system to detect and eliminate tumor cells. While most research on the immune response to tumors has focused on protein-coding genes, the potential roles of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in this process remain largely unexplored. In this review, we compile recent evidence on the ncRNA-mediated regulation of adaptive tumor immunity highlighting the need for further research in this field, and discuss their therapeutic potential to improve cancer immunotherapy. ABSTRACT: Cancer immunology research has mainly focused on the role of protein-coding genes in regulating immune responses to tumors. However, despite more than 70% of the human genome is transcribed, less than 2% encodes proteins. Many non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have been identified as critical regulators of immune cell development and function, suggesting that they might play important roles in orchestrating immune responses against tumors. In this review, we summarize the scientific advances on the role of ncRNAs in regulating adaptive tumor immunity, and discuss their potential therapeutic value in the context of cancer immunotherapy.