ZFAS1, novel long non-coding RNA with significance in colorectal cancer
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important regulatory roles in cancer biology, and some of them were shown to have potential for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. By use of high-throughput technology we have identified lncRNA called ZFAS1 as one of the highly up-regulated lncRNAs in CRC tissue. However, whether ZFAS1 could serve as novel biomarker to predict prognosis or therapy response in CRC is not unknown. Thus, aim of the current study is to investigate the clinical significance and biological functioning of ZFAS1 in CRC. First, we have evaluated whether ZFAS1 is detectable or altered in large cohort of CRC tissues and cell lines compared to adjacent normal tissues or normal colonic cell lines by RT-qPCR and in several cases also by Northern blot. The potential relationship between ZFAS1 levels in tumor tissues and the clinicopathological features of CRC was evaluated. Further, we assessed whether ZFAS1 influences cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, migration and invasion in vitro. The occurrence of different ZFAS1 isoforms was determined by RACE-PCR and protein interacting partners of ZFAS1 were analyzed by pull-down experiment and mass spectrometry. Our initial results demonstrate that ZFAS1 levels were markedly increased in CRC tissues and cells compared to controls. Moreover, knockdown of ZFAS1 was found to influence the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle progression of CRC cells. These data suggest an important role for ZFAS1 in the molecular aetiology of CRC and suggest a potential application for ZFAS1 in CRC diagnosis, progression and therapy. |