FAS-antisense 1 lncRNA and production of soluble versus membrane Fas in B-cell lymphoma

Leukemia. 2014 Dec;28(12):2376-87. doi: 10.1038/leu.2014.126. Epub 2014 Apr 3.

Abstract

Impaired Fas-mediated apoptosis is associated with poor clinical outcomes and cancer chemoresistance. Soluble Fas receptor (sFas), produced by skipping of exon 6, inhibits apoptosis by sequestering Fas ligand. Serum sFas is associated with poor prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. We found that the alternative splicing of Fas in lymphomas is tightly regulated by a long-noncoding RNA corresponding to an antisense transcript of Fas (FAS-AS1). Levels of FAS-AS1 correlate inversely with production of sFas, and FAS-AS1 binding to the RBM5 inhibits RBM5-mediated exon 6 skipping. EZH2, often mutated or overexpressed in lymphomas, hyper-methylates the FAS-AS1 promoter and represses the FAS-AS1 expression. EZH2-mediated repression of FAS-AS1 promoter can be released by DZNeP (3-Deazaneplanocin A) or overcome by ectopic expression of FAS-AS1, both of which increase levels of FAS-AS1 and correspondingly decrease expression of sFas. Treatment with Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor or EZH2 knockdown decreases the levels of EZH2, RBM5 and sFas, thereby enhancing Fas-mediated apoptosis. This is the first report showing functional regulation of Fas repression by its antisense RNA. Our results reveal new therapeutic targets in lymphomas and provide a rationale for the use of EZH2 inhibitors or ibrutinib in combination with chemotherapeutic agents that recruit Fas for effective cell killing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adenine / analogs & derivatives
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA Methylation
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein
  • Fas Ligand Protein / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Introns
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / blood*
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / genetics*
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / metabolism
  • Models, Biological
  • Piperidines
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 / genetics
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • RNA, Antisense / genetics*
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics*
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism
  • fas Receptor / blood*
  • fas Receptor / genetics*

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Fas Ligand Protein
  • Histones
  • Piperidines
  • Pyrazoles
  • Pyrimidines
  • RBM5 protein, human
  • RNA, Antisense
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • fas Receptor
  • ibrutinib
  • EZH2 protein, human
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 2
  • Adenine