2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Novel viral noncoding RNAs in head and neck cancers
Project/Area Number |
20K18289
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Review Section |
Basic Section 56050:Otorhinolaryngology-related
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Research Institution | University of the Ryukyus |
Principal Investigator |
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Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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Keywords | head and neck cancer / HPV16 / lncRNA |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been a prominent molecule in cancer biology but the significant knowledge in HPV-associated cancers has been less established. There have been few reports about human papillomavirus (HPV)-derived antisense RNAs expressed in HPV-associated cancers but their detailed structures and functions have been unknown. This study thus aims to identify the HPV antisense RNAs. PCR cloning and bioinformatic analysis revealed that one of the HPV antisense RNAs is a type of lncRNA and thus named HPV-AS lncRNA. Further expression analysis demonstrated that HPV-AS lncRNA is exclusively localized in the nucleus, suggesting it may play roles as an epigenetic modifier of oncogenes such as HPV E6 and E7. However, the results of knockdown experiments showed downregulation of several nuclear RNAs rather than that of HPV E6 and E7. In summary, HPV-AS lncRNA is expressed in certain types of HPV-associated cancer cells to maintain integrated nuclear RNA expression machineries
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Free Research Field |
Cancer biology
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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
ヒトパピローマウイルス(HPV)の16型および18型は一部の頭頸部がんや子宮頸がんの主な原因因子となっている。これらHPVの有するE6およびE7はがん誘導因子であることから、E6/E7はHPV関連がんの予防及び治療法において最も重要な標的と考えられている。しかしながら、E6/E7を含めたがんに関連する細胞内分子群の総体的挙動と、放射線治療・化学療法などのHPV関連がんの治療における異なる治療効果との関連については不明な点が多い。こうした点を科学的に明らかにすることは、HPV関連がんのより良い治療法を確立するために重要であり、本研究はそのための新たな基礎生物学的知見を得ることを目的としている。
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