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The novel G-quadruplex-containing long non-coding RNA GSEC antagonizes DHX36 and modulates colon cancer cell migration

Oncogene volume 36, pages 1191–1199 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently dysregulated in a variety of human cancers. However, their biological roles in these cancers remain incompletely understood. In this study, we analyze the gene expression profiles of colon cancer tissues and identify a previously unannotated lncRNA, FLJ39051, that we term GSEC (G-quadruplex-forming sequence containing lncRNA), as a lncRNA that is upregulated in colorectal cancer. We further demonstrate that knockdown of GSEC results in the reduction of colon cancer cell motility. We also show that GSEC binds to the DEAH box polypeptide 36 (DHX36) RNA helicase via its G-quadruplex-forming sequence and inhibits DHX36 G-quadruplex unwinding activity. Moreover, knockdown of DHX36 restores the reduced migratory activity of colon cancer cells caused by GSEC knockdown. These results suggest that GSEC plays an important role in colon cancer cell migration by inhibiting the function of DHX36 via its G-quadruplex structure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Integrative Research on Cancer Microenvironment Network) and Research Program of the Project for Development of Innovative Research on Cancer Therapeutics (P-Direct), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (Grant Number 13J08104).

Author Contributions

KM, MM, YK, JN and SS performed the experiments. LN performed mass spectrometry analysis. KM, YK and TA analyzed the data and wrote the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Information, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    K Matsumura, Y Kawasaki, M Miyamoto, Y Kamoshida, J Nakamura, L Negishi, S Suda & T Akiyama

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  1. K Matsumura
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Correspondence to T Akiyama.

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Matsumura, K., Kawasaki, Y., Miyamoto, M. et al. The novel G-quadruplex-containing long non-coding RNA GSEC antagonizes DHX36 and modulates colon cancer cell migration. Oncogene 36, 1191–1199 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2016.282

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