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Project

Functional analysis of the neuroblastoma-specific IncRNA LINC00682

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a rare, aggressive childhood cancer, arising from an aberrant differentiation of precursor cells from the sympathetic nervous system. Most efforts to elucidate the genetic heterogeneity of this disease focused on protein coding genes Although several driver oncogenes have been identified (MYCN, ALK), a lot is still unknown about the genetic background of neuroblastoma (Maris, 2010). Large-scale sequencing efforts have demonstrated that our genome is pervasively transcribed, producing thousands of long non-coding RNA (IncRNA) transcripts These IncRNAs show extreme tissue-specificity and are implicated in all cancer hallmarks. Insights in the role of IncRNAs in the pathogenesis of NB is lacking (Gutschner & Diederichs, 2012). During my PhD, I identified a highly abundant, neuroblastoma specific IncRNA, named LINC00682. This IncRNA is situated downstream of PHOX2B , a protein coding gene mutated in familial neuroblastoma. Chromatinconformation capture experiments demonstrated a strong interaction between LINC00682 and the PHOX2B promoter, suggesting that LINC00682 may be involved in PHOX2B regulation. The importance of this IncRNA is further underscored by its association with various clinical parameters and its role in neuroblastoma cell survival. With this project, we wish to further elucidate the function and mode of action of LINC00682 in neuroblastoma.

Date:1 Jan 2018 →  31 Dec 2018
Keywords:neuroblastoma-specific, IncRNA
Disciplines:Morphological sciences, Oncology