Widespread and Functional RNA Circularization in Localized Prostate Cancer

Publication date: 7 February 2019Source: Cell, Volume 176, Issue 4Author(s): Sujun Chen, Vincent Huang, Xin Xu, Julie Livingstone, Fraser Soares, Jouhyun Jeon, Yong Zeng, Junjie Tony Hua, Jessica Petricca, Haiyang Guo, Miranda Wang, Fouad Yousif, Yuzhe Zhang, Nilgun Donmez, Musaddeque Ahmed, Stas Volik, Anna Lapuk, Melvin L.K. Chua, Lawrence E. Heisler, Adrien FoucalSummaryThe cancer transcriptome is remarkably complex, including low-abundance transcripts, many not polyadenylated. To fully characterize the transcriptome of localized prostate cancer, we performed ultra-deep total RNA-seq on 144 tumors with rich clinical annotation. This revealed a linear transcriptomic subtype associated with the aggressive intraductal carcinoma sub-histology and a fusion profile that differentiates localized from metastatic disease. Analysis of back-splicing events showed widespread RNA circularization, with the average tumor expressing 7,232 circular RNAs (circRNAs). The degree of circRNA production was correlated to disease progression in multiple patient cohorts. Loss-of-function screening identified 11.3% of highly abundant circRNAs as essential for cell proliferation; for ∼90% of these, their parental linear transcripts were not essential. Individual circRNAs can have distinct functions, with circCSNK1G3 promoting cell growth by interacting with miR-181. These data advocate for adoption of ultra-deep RNA-seq without poly-A selection to interrogate both linear and circular transcriptom...

Source: Cell - February 8, 2019 Category: Cytology Source Type: research