Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences

Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences

Non-coding RNAs related to PD1/PD-L1 signaling with potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value in the tumorigenesis of brain cancers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Review Article

Authors
Reihane Behnam-Rassouli 1, 2
Farzaneh Entezari 3
Majid Ghorbanzadeh 4
Ali Reyhani 5
Mohammadreza Nassiri 1
Fereshteh Golab 2
Farzad Rahmani 5, 6
1 Recombinant Proteins Research Group, The Research Institute of Biotechnology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Surgical and Diagnostic Integrated Sciences, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
4 School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
5 Kashmar School of Medical Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
6 Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
10.22038/ijbms.2026.94213.20304
Abstract
Brain cancers are among the most aggressive malignancies associated with significant global morbidity and mortality. Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising novel approach for the treatment of brain cancer through regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling and disrupting tumor immune escape. Several targeted therapies have been developed to inhibit the PD-1/PD‑L1 route, but reduced therapeutic responses and drug resistance remain a major challenge that needs to be addressed. Notably, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which include microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), exert crucial effects on cell proliferation, invasion, and immune escape in the tumor microenvironment (TME). It has been shown that ncRNAs reduce tumor formation and progression by regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and by down-regulating key transcription factors, including NF-κB, JAK, and STAT. Therefore, identifying novel regulatory ncRNAs and their associated target genes offers promising opportunities for developing therapeutic interventions against brain cancer. This review highlights recent advances in understanding the regulatory role of ncRNAs on the PD-1/ PD-L1 pathway in brain cancer tumorigenesis.
Keywords
Brain neoplasms
PD-1/PD-L1
Immune evasion
Non-coding RNAs
MicroRNAs
Subjects
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