Abstract
Autophagy is a conserved degradation process that occurs in all eukaryotic cells and its dysfunction has been associated with various diseases including cancer. While a number of large-scale attempts have recently identified new molecular players in autophagy regulation, including proteins and microRNAs, little is known regarding the function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the regulation of this process. To identify new long non-coding RNAs with functional implications in autophagy, we performed a high-throughput RNAi screen targeting more than 600 lncRNA transcripts and monitored their effects on autophagy in MCF-7 cells. We identified 63 lncRNAs that affected GFP-LC3B puncta numbers significantly. We validated the strongest hit, the lncRNA DRAIC previously shown to impact cell proliferation, and revealed a novel role for this lncRNA in the regulation of autophagic flux. Interestingly, we find DRAIC's pro-proliferative effects to be autophagy-independent. This study serves as a valuable resource for researchers from both the lncRNA and autophagy fields as it advances the current understanding of autophagy regulation by non-coding RNAs.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Oncogene |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 26 |
Pages (from-to) | 5127-5141 |
Number of pages | 15 |
ISSN | 0950-9232 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |