Search and function elucidation of lncRNAs that regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K06057
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 43010:Molecular biology-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Terashima Minoru 金沢大学, がん進展制御研究所, 助教 (80507434)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 鈴木 健之 金沢大学, がん進展制御研究所, 教授 (30262075)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 上皮間葉転換 / EMT / 長鎖非コードRNA / lncRNA / ポリコーム抑制複合体 / PRC2

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have focused on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as a mechanism of cancer progression and reported that polycomb repressive complex (PRC2), which is one of epigenetic regulators, induces EMT by repressing the expression of epithelial genes. Furthermore, MEG3 long noncoding RNA contributes to epigenetic regulation of EMT by guiding PRC2 to its target gene loci. In this study, we proposed that RIAN (MEG8) long noncoding RNA, which shares the DLK1-DIO3 locus with MEG3, is involved in EMT in a different manner from MEG3. These results contribute to understanding of long noncoding RNA involved in cancer progression.

Free Research Field

分子生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、EMTの制御に関与するlncRNAの探索・同定とその機能解析から、EMTのエピジェネティック調節を司る新しい機能性分子としてのlncRNAの役割を明らかにする。これは、腫瘍の悪性進展を導くlncRNAの機能を解明するものであり、この成果を基盤として、lncRNAの新しいがん治療標的としての可能性を開拓できる。