Functional Interaction among lncRNA HOTAIR and MicroRNAs in Cancer and Other Human Diseases

LncRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs mostly involved in regulation of cancer initiation, metastatic progression, and drug resistance, through participation in post-transcription regulatory processes by interacting with different miRNAs. LncRNAs are able to compete with endogenous RNAs by binding and sequestering miRNAs and thereby regulating the expression of their target genes, often represented by oncogenes. The lncRNA HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) represents a diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarker in many human cancers, and its functional interaction with miRNAs has been described as crucial in the modulation of different cellular processes during cancer development. The aim of this review is to highlight the relation between lncRNA HOTAIR and different microRNAs in human diseases, discussing the contribution of these functional interactions, especially in cancer development and progression.