A novel variant of C1orf-ncRNA is upregulated in breast cancer cell lines and tissues

Introduction: long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in regulating gene expression at various levels, including alternative splicing, regulation of protein activity, localization, post-transcriptional processing, as well as chromatin modification and transcription. lncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in various cancers, including breast cancer, where they play vital roles in tumor initiation and progression. Recently, a clinical potential for them as a new class of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, has been claimed. C1orf is a ~70kb long lncRNA with 5 exons, located on chromosome 1.Method: We used several bioinformatics tools to find out the lncRNAs with significant expression alteration in breast cancer. We designed specific PCR primers to detect any potential alternatively spliced variants of the lncRNA. Then, we used real-time PCR approach to compare the expression of the gene in breast cancer vs. apparently normal tissues of the same person.Result: Using specifically designed primer pairs, we amplified an additional band with different amplicon size to the main variants. Sequencing data of the RT-PCR product led to the discovery of a novel alternative expressed variant of C1orf, which is expressed in MCF7 breast cancer cell line, as well as breast cancer tissues. Real-time PCR revealed a significant upregulation of the variant in breast cancer tissues, compared to the apparently normal tissues, obtained from the same patients.Conclusion: Here, we are reporting the discovery of a novel alternatively-spliced variant of C1orf, with a potential role in breast tissue carcinogenesis. Further functional analyzes is needed to confirm a causative role of the variant in breast carcinogenesis.

کلیدواژه ها:

lncRNA ، alternative splicing ، breast cancer