Reasearch on roles of long noncoding RNA-containing complexes in ovarian cancer and their application to ovarian cancer diagnosis and therapy

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K16798
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56040:Obstetrics and gynecology-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology
• Principal Investigator: Takeiwa Toshihiko 地方独立行政法人東京都健康長寿医療センター(東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所), 東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所, 研究員 (20635643)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 卵巣がん / 長鎖非コードRNA

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we investigated ovarian cancer-specific long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) using our RNA-sequence data obtained from normal ovarian tissues and ovarian cancers. We identified NONHSAT013448, an unannotated lincRNA, as the most highly expressed lincRNA in ovarian cancer tissues, and designated this lincRNA as ovarian cancer long intergenic noncoding RNA (OIN1). We demonstrated that OIN1 promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation, while siRNA-mediated OIN1 silencing enhances apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and suppresses in vivo growth of ovarian cancer cells inoculated in immunodeficient mice. We also identified RASSF5 and ADORA1, apoptosis-related genes, as OIN1 downstream target genes.

Free Research Field

RNA医学・生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

卵巣がんは婦人科領域における最も予後不良ながんのひとつであり、新たな治療法の開発が求められている。本研究で我々は、卵巣がん特異的に発現する長鎖非コードを新たに同定し、その卵巣がんにおける機能を明らかにする一方、その治療応用への可能性について示した。本研究成果は長鎖非コードRNAやその作用メカニズムを標的とする卵巣がんの革新的な治療法の開発につながることが期待される。