Open AccessAntisense RNAs Influence Promoter Usage of Their Counterpart Sense Genes in Cancer
Author(s) -
Fernando Bellido Molias,
Andre Sim,
Ka Wai Leong,
Ömer An,
Yangyang Song,
Vanessa Hui En Ng,
Max Wei Jie Lim,
Ying Chen,
Jasmin Xin Jia Teo,
Jonathan Göke,
Leilei Chen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
cancer research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.103
H-Index - 449
eISSN - 1538-7445
pISSN - 0008-5472
DOI - 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-1859
Subject(s) - sense (electronics) , gene silencing , biology , gene , promoter , antisense rna , gene isoform , gene expression , cancer , rna interference , regulation of gene expression , genetics , cancer research , rna , chemistry
Multiple noncoding natural antisense transcripts (ncNAT) are known to modulate key biological events such as cell growth or differentiation. However, the actual impact of ncNATs on cancer progression remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified a complete list of differentially expressed ncNATs in hepatocellular carcinoma. Among them, a previously undescribed ncNAT HNF4A-AS1L suppressed cancer cell growth by regulating its sense gene HNF4A , a well-known cancer driver, through a promoter-specific mechanism. HNF4A-AS1L selectively activated the HNF4A P1 promoter via HNF1A, which upregulated expression of tumor suppressor P1-driven isoforms, while having no effect on the oncogenic P2 promoter. RNA-seq data from 23 tissue and cancer types identified approximately 100 ncNATs whose expression correlated specifically with the activity of one promoter of their associated sense gene. Silencing of two of these ncNATs ENSG259357 and ENSG255031 (antisense to CERS2 and CHKA , respectively) altered the promoter usage of CERS2 and CHKA . Altogether, these results demonstrate that promoter-specific regulation is a mechanism used by ncNATs for context-specific control of alternative isoform expression of their counterpart sense genes. SIGNIFICANCE: This study characterizes a previously unexplored role of ncNATs in regulation of isoform expression of associated sense genes, highlighting a mechanism of alternative promoter usage in cancer.