Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play key roles in various human tumors. Ectopic expression of the lncRNA FEZ finger zinc 1 antisense 1 (FEZF1-AS1) have been reported in different cancers, including colorectal cancer, gastric neoplasia, hepatocellular carcinoma and so on. Summarizing all literature correlated with FEZF1-AS1, it is obvious that FEZF1-AS1 is mainly involved in tumorigenesis and progression through competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) which sponges tumor-suppressive microRNA (miRNA) and recruiting mechanism. Moreover, the aberrant expression of FEZF1-AS1 is related to clinical features of patients with cancers, and regulates cellular proliferation, anti-apoptosis, invasion and metastasis through diverse underlying mechanisms. The role of FEZF1-AS1 in carcinogenesis and progression suggests that it may be a potential diagnostic biomarker or a novel therapeutic target for cancers.