Fig. 1

Noncoding RNAs regulate biological functions through multiple mechanisms, including ceRNA, transcriptional regulation, stabilizing/destabilizing proteins, chromatin/histone remodeling, stabilizing/destabilizing mRNAs, alternative splicing, sequestering and scaffolding of proteins and protein recruitment. Hence, given their polyfunctionality, noncoding RNAs may serve as hinges bridging metabolic activity and immune responses. Common patterns for the interaction of metabolism and the immune microenvironment were as follows: metabolites recruit or exclude immunosuppressive cells, damage or maintain the function of antitumor cells and fuel or restrain tumor-educated immune cells and tumor development