The long non-coding RNA transcript, LOC100130460 (CAND1.11) gene, encodes a novel protein highly expressed in cancer cells and tumor human testis tissues

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Donizetti, Aldo^{a; 1} | Venditti, Massimo^{b; 1} | Arcaniolo, Davide^c | Aliperti, Vincenza^a | Carrese, Anna Maria^a | De Sio, Marco^c | Minucci, Sergio^{b; *} | Caraglia, Michele^d | Aniello, Francesco^a

Affiliations: [a] Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Napoli, Italy | [b] Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Napoli, Italy | [c] Dipartimento della Donna, del Bambino e di Chirurgia Generale e Specialistica, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Napoli, Italy | [d] Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Napoli, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Sergio Minucci, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, via Costantinopoli, 16-80138 Napoli, Italy. Tel.: +39 815665829; E-mail: sergio.minucci@unicampania.it. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1007-7840.

Note: [1] These authors equally contributed to this work.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Testis-specific genes encoding for long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) have been detected in several cancers; many produce proteins with restricted or aberrant expression patterns in normal or cancer tissues. OBJECTIVE: To characterize new lncRNA involved in normal and/or pathological differentiation of testicular cells. METHODS: Using bioinformatics analysis, we found that lncRNA LOC100130460 (CAND1.11) is expressed in normal and tumor testis; its expression was assessed in several human cell lines by qRT-PCR. CAND1.11 protein, produced by a single nucleotide mutation, was studied by western blot and immunofluorescence analysis on normal, classic seminoma, and Leydig cell tumor testicular tissues. RESULTS:CAND1.11 gene is primate-specific; its expression was low in SH-SY5Y cells and increased when differentiated with retinoic acid treatment. CAND1.11 expression in PC3 cells was higher than in PNT2 cells. CAND1.11 protein is present in the human testis and overexpressed in testicular cancer tissues. CONCLUSIONS: This report is one of the few providing evidence that a lncRNA produces a protein expressed in normal human tissues and overexpressed in several testicular cancers, suggesting its involvement in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Although further studies are needed to validate the results, our data indicate that CAND1.11 could be a potential new prognostic biomarker to use in proliferation and cancer.

Keywords: Long non-coding RNA, cancer cells, testis, proliferation, differentiation, testis cancer

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-230160

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 343-353, 2023