Role of UPF1 in lncRNA-HEIH regulation for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

Experimental & Molecular Medicine, Published online: 01 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s12276-024-01158-6Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, a type of liver cancer), has a high death rate due to limited effective treatments. Current medications often result in resistance and only prolong life by a few months. This research investigates the role of UPF1, a crucial component in a process called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (the elimination of faulty genetic messages), in controlling the expression of a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA, a type of genetic material) known as lncRNA-HEIH. The scientists discovered that reducing UPF1 increased the level of lncRNA-HEIH, which subsequently encouraged the growth of HCC cells. Moreover, lncRNA-HEIH was found to distract a molecule named miR-194-5p, thus increasing the expression of a cancer-promoting gene called GNA13. This UPF1/lncRNA-HEIH/miR-194-5p/GNA13 regulatory pathway could potentially be targeted for therapeutic interventions in HCC. This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author.
Source: Experimental and Molecular Medicine - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research