LncRNA-OIS1 regulates DPP4 activation to modulate senescence induced by RAS

Nucleic Acids Res. 2018 May 4;46(8):4213-4227. doi: 10.1093/nar/gky087.

Abstract

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS), provoked in response to oncogenic activation, is considered an important tumor suppressor mechanism. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nt without a protein-coding capacity. Functional studies showed that deregulated lncRNA expression promote tumorigenesis and metastasis and that lncRNAs may exhibit tumor-suppressive and oncogenic function. Here, we first identified lncRNAs that were differentially expressed between senescent and non-senescent human fibroblast cells. Using RNA interference, we performed a loss-function screen targeting the differentially expressed lncRNAs, and identified lncRNA-OIS1 (lncRNA#32, AC008063.3 or ENSG00000233397) as a lncRNA required for OIS. Knockdown of lncRNA-OIS1 triggered bypass of senescence, higher proliferation rate, lower abundance of the cell-cycle inhibitor CDKN1A and high expression of cell-cycle-associated genes. Subcellular inspection of lncRNA-OIS1 indicated nuclear and cytosolic localization in both normal culture conditions as well as following oncogene induction. Interestingly, silencing lncRNA-OIS1 diminished the senescent-associated induction of a nearby gene (Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4, DPP4) with established role in tumor suppression. Intriguingly, similar to lncRNA-OIS1, silencing DPP4 caused senescence bypass, and ectopic expression of DPP4 in lncRNA-OIS1 knockdown cells restored the senescent phenotype. Thus, our data indicate that lncRNA-OIS1 links oncogenic induction and senescence with the activation of the tumor suppressor DPP4.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cellular Senescence / genetics*
  • Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 / genetics*
  • Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 / metabolism
  • Gene Expression
  • Genes, ras
  • Genome
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / metabolism*

Substances

  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • DPP4 protein, human
  • Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4