The role of lncRNA NR2F1-AS1 in neuroendocrine prostate cancer

Abstract

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have various effects in cancer mostly through regulating gene expression. lncRNA NR2F1-AS1 is known to promote tumor progression in endometrial cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and thyroid cancer. However, the role of lncRNA NR2F1-AS1 in neuroendocrine cancer (NEPC) development remains unknown. In this study, I found that lncRNA NR2F1-AS1 expression was increased and positively correlated with that of NR2F1 in NEPC through in vitro cell line tests and patient data analysis. Knockdown of lncRNA NR2F1-AS1 reduced neuroendocrine marker (NE-marker) expression at the protein level. Moreover, the overexpression of NR2F1 increased the levels of SOX2, which is an important transcription factor for reprogramming and NEPC development, in NR2F1-AS1 knockdown PC-3 cells. These results imply that lncRNA NR2F1-AS1 could promote the development of NEPC through regulating NR2F1 and SOX2 expression.