The emerging roles of 3′ untranslated regions in cancer

• The reprogramming of 3′ UTRs plays an important role in cancer development.
• 3′ UTRs reciprocally control the level and function of endogenous miRNAs.
• 3′ UTRs are potential novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis in cancer.
• The noncoding functions of coding genes are now attracting much interest.

Accumulating evidence suggests that 3′ untranlated regions (3′ UTRs) are critical for spatial and temporal gene expression in both physiological and pathological conditions. The reprogramming of 3′ UTRs by various means is a common phenomenon in cancer; disturbances of 3′ UTRs significantly increase the risk of cancer susceptibility by acting both in cis and in trans. In this manuscript, we provide an update and perspective on recent advances made in understanding the emerging roles for 3′ UTRs in cancer development and hint at the potential future applications of 3′ UTRs in cancer diagnosis and therapy.