EZH2: A Critical Competing Endogenous RNA in Cancer Research-A Scoping Review

In recent years, research on the competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in cancer is in full swing. These investigations are discovering the importance of critical RNAs in cancer progression. Enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit (EZH2) is one of these RNAs that has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in many types of cancer. Up to now, many studies have been conducted to elucidate ceRNA role of EZH2 in cancer. Due to EZH2s dual role as an oncogene and tumor suppressor in cancer, a more thorough exploration of its ceRNA functions may enhance clinical approaches to cancer treatment. In the current scoping review, we searched online databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar to identify experimentally-validated ceRNA axes including EZH2 in human cancers. We identified 62 unique axes consisting of 30 microRNAs (miRNAs), 31 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), 9 messenger RNAs (mRNAs), and 14 circular RNAs (circRNAs). Notably, SPRY4-IT1 - miR-101-3p - EZH2 and XIST - miR-101-3p - EZH2 were recurrent axes observed in multiple cancer types. Among the most frequent miRNAs were miR-101-3p, miR-144-3p, and miR-124-3p, and ceRNAs including SPRY4-IT1, XIST, SNHG6, HOXA11-AS, MALAT1, and TUG1 emerged as frequent competitors of EZH2 for miRNA binding. This scoping review highlights the prevalence and diversity of EZH2-containing ceRNA axes in cancer, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets. Future research should delve deeper into these axes to elucidate their functional significance and assess their clinical applicability.