Neat1 is a p53-inducible lincRNA essential for transformation suppression

Emerging roles of long non-coding RNA in cancer

Since comprehensive analysis of the mammalian genome revealed that the majority of genomic products are transcribed in long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA), increasing attention has been paid to these transcripts. The applied next‐generation sequencing technologies have provided accumulating evidence of dysregulated lncRNA in cancer. The implication of this finding can be seen in many forms and at multiple levels. With impacts ranging from integrating chromatin remodeling complexes to regulating transcription and post‐transcriptional processes, aberrant expression of lncRNA may have repercussions in cell proliferation, tumor progression or metastasis. lncRNA may act as enhancers, scaffolds or decoys by physically interacting with other RNA species or proteins, resulting in a direct impact on cell signaling cascades. Even though their functional classification is well‐established in the context of cancer, clearer characterization in terms of their phenotypic outputs is needed to optimize and identify suitable candidates that enable the development of new therapeutic strategies and the design of novel diagnostic approaches. The present article aims to outline different cancer‐associated lncRNA according to their contribution to tumor suppression or tumor promotion based on their most current functional annotations.

[Analysis of orthologous lncRNAs in humans and mice and their species-specific epigenetic target genes]

OBJECTIVE

To identify orthologous lncRNAs in human and mice and the species specificity of their epigenetic regulatory functions.

METHODS

The human/mouse whole-genome pairwise alignment (hg19/mm10, genome.UCSC.edu) was used to identify the orthologues in 13 562 and 10 481 GENCODE-annotated human and mouse lncRNAs. The Infernal program was used to search the orthologous sequences of all the exons of the 13562 human lncRNAs in mouse genome (mm10) to identify the highly conserved orthologues in mice. LongTarget program was used to predict the DNA binding sites of the orthologous lncRNAs in their local genomic regions. Gene Ontology analysis was carried out to examine the functions of genes.

RESULTS

Only 158 orthologous lncRNAs were identified in humans and mice, and many of these orthologues had species-specific DNA binding sites and epigenetic target genes. Some of the epigenetic target genes executed important functions in determining human and mouse phenotypes.

CONCLUSION

s Only a few human and mouse lncRNAs are orthologues, and most of lncRNAs are species-specific. The orthologous lncRNAs have species-specific epigenetic target genes, and species-specific epigenetic regulation greatly contributes to the differences between humans and mice.

p53-Dependent and -Independent Epithelial Integrity: Beyond miRNAs and Metabolic Fluctuations

In addition to its classical roles as a tumor suppressor, p53 has also been shown to act as a guardian of epithelial integrity by inducing the microRNAs that target transcriptional factors driving epithelial⁻mesenchymal transition. On the other hand, the ENCODE project demonstrated an enrichment of putative motifs for the binding of p53 in epithelial-specific enhancers, such as CDH1 (encoding E-cadherin) enhancers although its biological significance remained unknown. Recently, we identified two novel modes of epithelial integrity (i.e., maintenance of CDH1 expression): one involves the binding of p53 to a CDH1 enhancer region and the other does not. In the former, the binding of p53 is necessary to maintain permissive histone modifications around the CDH1 transcription start site, whereas in the latter, p53 does not bind to this region nor affect histone modifications. Furthermore, these mechanisms likely coexisted within the same tissue. Thus, the mechanisms involved in epithelial integrity appear to be much more complex than previously thought. In this review, we describe our findings, which may instigate further experimental scrutiny towards understanding the whole picture of epithelial integrity as well as the related complex asymmetrical functions of p53. Such understanding will be important not only for cancer biology but also for the safety of regenerative medicine.

Long non-coding RNA NEAT1-modulated abnormal lipolysis via ATGL drives hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation

BACKGROUND

Abnormal metabolism, including abnormal lipid metabolism, is a hallmark of cancer cells. Some studies have demonstrated that the lipogenic pathway might promote the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of the lipolytic pathway in HCC has not been elucidated.

METHODS

We compared levels of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) in human HCC and healthy liver tissues by real time PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry. We measured diacylglycerol(DAG) and free fatty acid (FFA) levels in HCC cells driven by the NEAT1-ATGL axis and in HCC tissues. We also assessed the effects of ATGL, DAG, FFA, and NEAT1 on HCC cells proliferation in vitro and in an orthotopic xenograft HCC mouse model. We also performed a luciferase reporter assay to investigate the interaction between NEAT1/ATGL and miR-124-3p.

RESULTS

We found that the lipolytic enzyme, ATGL is highly expressed in human HCC tissues and predicts poor prognosis. We also found that high levels of DAG and FFA are present in HCC tissues. Furthermore, the lncRNA-NEAT1 was found to modulate ATGL expression and disrupt lipolysis in HCC cells via ATGL. Notably, ATGL and its products, DAG and FFA, were shown to be responsible for NEAT1-mediated HCC cell growth. NEAT1 regulated ATGL expression by binding miR-124-3p. Additionally, NEAT1 knockdown attenuated HCC cell growth through miR-124-3p/ATGL/DAG+FFA/PPARα signaling.

CONCLUSION

Our results reveal that NEAT1-modulates abnormal lipolysis via ATGL to drive HCC proliferation.

Long Noncoding RNA PURPL Suppresses Basal p53 Levels and Promotes Tumorigenicity in Colorectal Cancer

Basal p53 levels are tightly suppressed under normal conditions. Disrupting this regulation results in elevated p53 levels to induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and tumor suppression. Here, we report the suppression of basal p53 levels by a nuclear, p53-regulated long noncoding RNA that we termed PURPL (p53 upregulated regulator of p53 levels). Targeted depletion of PURPL in colorectal cancer cells results in elevated basal p53 levels and induces growth defects in cell culture and in mouse xenografts. PURPL associates with MYBBP1A, a protein that binds to and stabilizes p53, and inhibits the formation of the p53-MYBBP1A complex. In the absence of PURPL, MYBBP1A interacts with and stabilizes p53. Silencing MYBBP1A significantly rescues basal p53 levels and proliferation in PURPL-deficient cells, suggesting that MYBBP1A mediates the effect of PURPL in regulating p53. These results reveal a p53-PURPL auto-regulatory feedback loop and demonstrate a role for PURPL in maintaining basal p53 levels.

Therapeutic Targeting of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a significant population of the human transcriptome. Many lncRNAs exhibit cell- and/or tissue/tumor-specific expression, making them excellent candidates for therapeutic applications. In this review we discuss examples of lncRNAs that demonstrate the diversity of their function in various cancer types. We also discuss recent advances in nucleic acid drug development with a focus on oligonucleotide-based therapies as a novel approach to inhibit tumor progression. The increased success rates of nucleic acid therapeutics provide an outstanding opportunity to explore lncRNAs as viable therapeutic targets to combat various aspects of cancer progression.

Nuclear Long Noncoding RNAs: Key Regulators of Gene Expression

A significant portion of the human genome encodes genes that transcribe long nonprotein-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). A large number of lncRNAs localize in the nucleus, either enriched on the chromatin or localized to specific subnuclear compartments. Nuclear lncRNAs participate in several biological processes, including chromatin organization, and transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression, and also act as structural scaffolds of nuclear domains. Here, we highlight recent studies demonstrating the role of lncRNAs in regulating gene expression and nuclear organization in mammalian cells. In addition, we update current knowledge about the involvement of the most-abundant and conserved lncRNA, metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), in gene expression control.

Nuclear Bodies Built on Architectural Long Noncoding RNAs: Unifying Principles of Their Construction and Function

Nuclear bodies are subnuclear, spheroidal, and membraneless compartments that concentrate specific proteins and/or RNAs. They serve as sites of biogenesis, storage, and sequestration of specific RNAs, proteins, or ribonucleoprotein complexes. Recent studies reveal that a subset of nuclear bodies in various eukaryotic organisms is constructed using architectural long noncoding RNAs (arcRNAs). Here, we describe the unifying mechanistic principles of the construction and function of these bodies, especially focusing on liquid-liquid phase separation induced by architectural molecules that form multiple weakly adhesive interactions. We also discuss three possible advantages of using arcRNAs rather than architectural proteins to build the bodies: position-specificity, rapidity, and economy in sequestering nucleic acid-binding proteins. Moreover, we introduce two recently devised methods to discover novel arcRNA-constructed bodies; one that focuses on the RNase-sensitivity of these bodies, and another that focuses on "semi-extractability" of arcRNAs.

Neat1 in hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) generate blood and immune cells through a hierarchical process of differentiation. Genes that regulate this process are of great interest for understanding normal and also malignant hematopoiesis. Surprisingly, however, very little is known about long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) in HSCs. Neat1 is a lncRNA that plays a major role in the formation of sub-nuclear structures called paraspeckles, and was reported to regulate proliferation and differentiation in other cells types. We detected Neat1 expression using RNA-seq data and RT-qPCR in HSCs, progenitors and effector immune cells, by specific detection of its isoforms. Neat1 is highly expressed in stem and progenitor cells, yet it shows significant reduction in granulocytes. Microscopically, Neat1 is detected as sharp nuclear foci. Paraspeckle proteins NONO and PSPC1 are detected as aggregated nuclear foci in fresh primary hematopoietic cells, and in cultured cells. Induction of differentiation in vitro was found to enhance Neat1 expression. Taken together, our data demonstrate for the first time the expression of Neat1 and paraspeckles formation in HSCs and along hematopoiesis.

Deciphering p53 signaling in tumor suppression

The p53 transcription factor is mutated in over half of human cancers, and p53-null mice are highly predisposed to cancer, highlighting p53s essential role in tumor suppression. Studies in mouse models have revealed that p53 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis responses to acute DNA damage signals are dispensable for tumor suppression, prompting a search for new mechanisms underlying p53-mediated cancer suppression. p53 responds to other types of stress signals and regulates a host other cellular processes, including maintenance of genomic stability, metabolism, stemness, non-apoptotic cell death, migration/invasion, and cell signaling, any or all of which could be fundamental for suppressing carcinogenesis. The ability of p53 to govern numerous transcriptional programs and cellular functions likely explains its potent tumor suppressor activity.

Pan-cancer analysis of long non-coding RNA NEAT1 in various cancers

Changes in the abundance and activity of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have an important impact on the development of cancer. The nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been reported to be overexpressed in many types of cancer since its discovery. However, inconsistencies exist as NEAT1 can also function as a tumor suppressor in certain types of cancer, such as acute promyelocytic leukemia. Here we systematically describe our current understanding of NEAT1 in tumor initiation and progression. First, we analyzed the expression patterns of NEAT1 in various normal tissues and malignant cancers using data from public data portals, the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), together with recent progress in the study of NEAT1 in various types of cancer. Second, we discussed the functions and mechanisms of NEAT1 in modulating tumor activity. Then, the upstream transcription factors and downstream microRNA targets of NEAT1 in the transcription cascade of cancers were also summarized. These data highlight the emerging role of NEAT1 in tumorigenesis, and present promising targetable pathways and clinical opportunities for tumor prevention and classifications.