The fibroblast growth factor-2 antisense gene inhibits nuclear accumulation of FGF-2 and delays cell cycle progression in C6 glioma cells

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) is a potent heparin-binding protein with growth-promoting and anti-apoptotic activity. Transcription of the GFG/NUDT6 gene on the opposite DNA strand generates an overlapping antisense RNA (FGF-AS) implicated in the post-transcriptional regulation of FGF-2. C6 glioma cells coordinately express FGF-2 and FGF-AS mRNA in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Cellular FGF-2 immunoreactivity was also cell cycle-dependent, with marked nuclear accumulation during S-phase. Stable transfection and overexpression of the FGF-AS RNA resulted in suppression of total cellular FGF-2, and a reduction in nuclear accumulation of FGF-2 isoforms. Serum stimulation of growth-arrested wild-type cells evoked a rapid nuclear translocation of FGF-2, and cell cycle re-entry. FGF-AS transfectants, in contrast, showed a significant delay in recovery of both nuclear FGF-2 staining and S-phase re-entry. Similar results were observed when cells were released from aphidicolin-induced G1 arrest or subjected to heat shock. These findings indicate that FGF-AS RNA inhibits expression and cell cycle-dependent nuclear accumulation of FGF-2, and this is associated with a marked delay in S-phase progression. The results suggest that the endogenous FGF antisense RNA may play a significant functional role in the regulation of FGF-2 dependent cell proliferation in FGF-2 expressing cells.