In silico prediction and experimental validation of natural antisense transcripts in two cancer-associated regions of human chromosome 6

Int J Oncol. 2009 Apr;34(4):1099-108. doi: 10.3892/ijo_00000237.

Abstract

Antisense transcription has long been recognized as a mechanism involved in the regulation of gene expression. Therefore, several human diseases associated with abnormal patterns of gene expression might display antisense RNA-mediated pathogenetic mechanisms. Such issue could be particularly relevant for cancer pathogenesis, since deregulated gene expression has long been established as a hallmark of cancer cells. Herein, we report on a bioinformatic search for antisense transcription in two cancer-associated regions of human chromosome 6 (6q21 and 6q27). Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) for several genes in both genomic regions were predicted in silico and subsequently validated by strand-specific RT-PCR. Detailed experimental validation by quantitative real-time RT-PCR of five putative cancer related sense-antisense transcript pairs revealed a single candidate tumor suppressor gene (RPS6KA2) whose expression levels display marked cancer-related changes that are likely mediated by its antisense RNA in a breast cancer cell line model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6*
  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Genes, Tumor Suppressor
  • Genome, Human
  • Humans
  • Introns
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Genetic
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense
  • RNA, Antisense / genetics*
  • RNA, Antisense / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa / biosynthesis
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa / genetics*

Substances

  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense
  • RNA, Antisense
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa
  • ribosomal protein S6 kinase, 90kDa, polypeptide 3