Breast cancer-associated long non-coding RNA NEAT1 and paraspeckles in cellular stress responses

We aim to delineate the functions of NEAT1 and paraspeckles in proteotoxic stress and in regulation of the autophagosomal-lysosomal pathway by employing CRISPR/Cas9 technology, proteomics, RNA-sequencing, and state-of-the-art imaging techniques.

Key  publication:

Lellahi, MS., Rosenlund IA., Hedberg, A., Kiær, LT., 1, Mikkola, I., Knutsen, E., and M. Perander. 2018. The long non-coding RNA NEAT1 is a novel target gene of HSF1 and upregulated in the heat shock response. J Biol Chem. 293: 18965-18976.

NEAT1 is abnormally expressed in many breast cancers. We aim to increase the understanding of the relative contribution of the NEAT1_1 and NEAT1_2 isoforms in breast cancer subtypes and whether NEAT1 expression is associated with therapy resistance. 

Key publications:

Klec. C., Knutsen, E., Schwarzenbacher, D., Pasculli, B., Heitzer, E., Rinner B., Krajina, K., Gottschalk,B., Ulz, P., Deutsch, A., Prokesch, A., Lellahi SM., Perander, M., Barbano, R., Graier,WF.,   Parrella, P., Calin CA., and M. Pichler. 2022. ALYREF, a novel factor involved in breast carcinogenesis, acts through post-transcriptional mechanisms to selectively regulate the short NEAT1 isoform. Cell Mol Life Sci.,79:391. doi: 10.1007/s00018-022-04402-2.

Knutsen, E., Harris, A. L., and M. Perander. 2021. Functions of long non-coding RNA NEAT1 and isoforms in breast cancer. Br J Cancer. doi: 10.1038/s41416-021-01588-3  

Knutsen, E., Lellahi, MS, Aure. MR., Nord, S., Fismen, S., Larsen, KB., Gabriel, MT., Hedberg, A., Bjørklund, SS., OSBREAC, Bofin, AM., Mælandsmo, GM., Sørlie, T., Mortensen ES., and M. Perander. 2020. The expression of the long NEAT1_2 isoform is associated with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancers. Sci Rep. 10:1277.doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-57759-4.