<div>Abstract<p>Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) that are associated with immune checkpoints have not been identified, and the mechanism by which such lncRNAs might regulate the expression of immune checkpoints is unknown in human cancer. Immune checkpoint–associated lncRNAs (ICP-lncRNA) were identified and validated via a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data. These ICP-lncRNAs were involved in key immune response and immune cell receptor signaling pathways. The expression of ICP-lncRNAs was upregulated and correlated with a poor prognosis in patients with cancer. HLA complex P5 (HCP5) and myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT) promoted tumor growth and upregulated the expression of PD-L1/CD274 via a competing endogenous RNA mechanism of sponging miR-150-5p. The combination of MIAT knockdown and PD-L1 antibody administration showed a synergistic inhibitory effect on tumor growth. Finally, the expression of both HCP5 and MIAT was confirmed to be transcriptionally suppressed by CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), and lipopolysaccharide induced CTCF eviction from the HCP5 and MIAT promoters, attenuating the transcriptionally suppressive activity of CTCF. This study enlarges the functional landscape of known lncRNAs in human cancer and indicates novel insights into their roles in the field of tumor immunity and immunotherapy. These findings may aid in the comprehensive management of human cancer with immunotherapy.</p></div>
Abstract Although programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have achieved some therapeutic success in breast cancer, their efficacy is limited by low therapeutic response rates, which is closely related to the immune escape of breast cancer cells. Tissue differentiation inducing non-protein coding RNA (TINCR), a long non-coding RNA, as an oncogenic gene associated with the progression of various malignant tumors, including breast cancer; however, the role of TINCR in tumor immunity, especially in breast cancer, remains unclear. We confirmed that TINCR upregulated PD-L1 expression in vivo and in vitro, and promoted the progression of breast cancer. Next, we revealed that TINCR knockdown can significantly improve the therapeutic effect of PD-L1 inhibitors in breast cancer in vivo. Mechanistically, TINCR recruits DNMT1 to promote the methylation of miR-199a-5p loci and inhibit its transcription. Furthermore, in the cytoplasm, TINCR potentially acts as a molecular sponge of miR-199a-5p and upregulates the stability of USP20 mRNA through a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory mechanism, thus promoting PD-L1 expression by decreasing its ubiquitination level. IFN-γ stimulation activates STAT1 by phosphorylation, which migrates into the nucleus to promote TINCR transcription. This is the first study to describe the regulatory role of TINCR in breast cancer tumor immunity, broadening the current paradigm of the functional diversity of TINCR in tumor biology. In addition, our study provides new research directions and potential therapeutic targets for PD-L1 inhibitors in breast cancer.
Abstract Background: Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) plays a positive role in the progression of human malignant tumors. However, the molecular mechanism of SNHG1 remains elusive in breast cancer. Methods : The Cancer Genome Atlas data were used to examine the differential expression of SNHG1 in tumor and normal tissues, as well as the relationship between SNHG1 expression and prognosis. Oncogenic role of SNHG1 in breast cancer was studied both in vitro and in vivo . Animal experiments along with colony counting kit-8, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays were used to verify that SNHG1 was an oncogene in breast cancer. Furthermore, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting analysis, subcellular RNA fractionation, and dual-luciferase reporter assay were performed to prove the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism of SNHG1, miR-18b-5p, and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed to confirm that the transcription factor E2F1 could enhance SNHG1 transcription. Results: LncRNA SNHG1 was upregulated and had a positive relationship with poor prognosis according to bioinformatics analysis. Silencing SNHG1 inhibited tumorigenesis in breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo . Mechanistically, SNHG1 functioned as a ceRNA to promote TERT expression by sponging miR-18b-5p. Moreover, miR-18b-5p acted as a tumor repressor in breast cancer. Finally, E2F1, a transcription factor, enhanced SNHG1 transcription. Conclusions: Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the oncogenic mechanism of lncRNA SNHG1 in breast cancer. Importantly, we identified a novel E2F1–SNHG1–miR-18b-5p–TERT axis, which may be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.