Data from The Melanoma‐Upregulated Long Noncoding RNA <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> Modulates Apoptosis and Invasion

Abstract

<div>Abstract<p>The identification of cancer-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and the investigation of their molecular and biological functions are important to understand the molecular biology of cancer and its progression. Although the functions of lncRNAs and the mechanisms regulating their expression are largely unknown, recent studies are beginning to unravel their importance in human health and disease. Here, we report that a number of lncRNAs are differentially expressed in melanoma cell lines in comparison to melanocytes and keratinocyte controls. One of these lncRNAs, <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> (GenBank accession ID AK024556), is derived from an intron of the <i>SPRY4</i> gene and is predicted to contain several long hairpins in its secondary structure. RNA-FISH analysis showed that <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> is predominantly localized in the cytoplasm of melanoma cells, and <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> RNAi knockdown results in defects in cell growth, differentiation, and higher rates of apoptosis in melanoma cell lines. Differential expression of both <i>SPRY4</i> and <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> was also detected <i>in vivo</i>, in 30 distinct patient samples, classified as primary <i>in situ</i>, regional metastatic, distant metastatic, and nodal metastatic melanoma. The elevated expression of <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> in melanoma cells compared to melanocytes, its accumulation in cell cytoplasm, and effects on cell dynamics, including increased rate of wound closure on <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> overexpression, suggest that the higher expression of <i>SPRY4-IT1</i> may have an important role in the molecular etiology of human melanoma. <i>Cancer Res; 71(11); 3852–62. ©2011 AACR</i>.</p></div>