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Niu C, Li M, Chen Y, Zhang X, Zhu S, Zhou X, Zhou L, Li Z, Xu J, Hu JF, Wang Y, Cui J. LncRNA NCAL1 potentiates natural killer cell cytotoxicity through the Gab2-PI3K-AKT pathway. Front Immunol 2022; 13:970195. [PMID: 36248894 PMCID: PMC9554105 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.970195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells perform immune surveillance functions in tumors. The antitumor effects of NK cells are closely related to tumor occurrence and development. However, the molecular factors that determine NK cell antitumor activity remain to be characterized. In the present study, we identified a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), NK cell activity-associated lncRNA 1 (NCAL1), and investigated its function in NK cells. NCAL1 was primarily located in NK cell nuclei, where it functioned by activating Gab2, a scaffold protein with an essential role in immune cells. Gab2 positively regulated the killing activity of NK cells. Mechanistically, NCAL1 upregulated Gab2 epigenetically by binding to the Gab2 promoter, which decreased methylation, recruited the transcription factor Sp1, and increased H3K4me3 and H3K27ac levels in the Gab2 promoter. Furthermore, NCAL1 enhanced the cytotoxicity of NK cells toward tumor cells through the Gab2-PI3K-AKT pathway. Thus, NCAL1 potentiates NK cell cytotoxicity and is a promising therapeutic target to improve NK cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Niu
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yongchong Chen
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhang
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Shan Zhu
- Department of Translational Medicine, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xin Zhou
- Cancer Institute, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhaozhi Li
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jianting Xu
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ji-fan Hu
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Stanford University Medical School, Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Jiuwei Cui, ; Yufeng Wang, ; Ji-fan Hu, ;
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Cancer Institute, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Jiuwei Cui, ; Yufeng Wang, ; Ji-fan Hu, ;
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Department of Cancer Center, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Jiuwei Cui, ; Yufeng Wang, ; Ji-fan Hu, ;
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