Abstract
Various species of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may act as functional molecules regulating diverse biological processes. In cancer cell biology, ncRNAs include RNAs that regulate the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes through various mechanisms. The urokinase (uPA)-mediated plasminogen activation system (PAS) includes uPA, its inhibitors PAI-1 and PAI-2 and its specific cellular receptor uPAR; their increased expression represents a negative prognostic factor in several cancers. Here, we will briefly describe the main uPA-mediated PAS components and ncRNA species; then, we will review more recent evidence of the roles that ncRNAs may play in regulating the expression and functions of uPA-mediated PAS components in cancer.