Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026
RNA Pull-down Procedure to Identify RNA Targets of a Long Non-coding RNA
Published on: April 10, 2018
Long Non-Coding RNA MEG3 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Regulate HOXA11 Expression by Sponging miR-181a
Xuxing Shen1, Hua Bai1, Huayuan Zhu1
1Department of Hematology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, China.
Background/Aims:
Long non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) has been reported to play an essential role in cancer progression and metastasis. However, the overall biological role and regulatory mechanism of MEG3 in multiple myeloma (MM) development and progression remains largely ill-defined.
Methods:
MEG3 and miR-181a expression of MM patients were analyzed by publicly available MM data sets. Cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry analysis were used to identify the function of MEG3 on MM in vitro. Additionally, we conducted tumor formation experiments in mice models to explain the role of MEG3 on MM in vivo. Then, several mechanism experiments, including dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation were performed to evaluate the emulative relationship between MEG3 and miR-181a.
Results:
In this research, we found that MEG3 was downregulated in MM patients, which was linked with tumor progression. In addition, we demonstrated that miR-181a was overexpressed in MM patients in consistent with its cancer-promoting function. Importantly, several mechanism experiments revealed that MEG3, acting as an endogenous competitive RNA, could contend with miR-181a to inhibit tumor progression. Furthermore, as the target mRNA of miR-181a, homeobox gene A11(HOXA11) could be positively regulated by MEG3 through sponging miR-181a competitively in vitro.
Conclusion:
Our present work supplies the first discovery of a MEG3/miR-181a/HOXA11 regulatory network in MM and highlights that MEG3 may serve as a promising target for MM therapy in the future.
Insights
Long non-coding RNA MEG3 is downregulated in multiple myeloma (MM) and inhibits cancer progression by sponging miR-181a. This study reveals a novel MEG3/miR-181a/HOXA11 regulatory network in MM.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Long non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) is implicated in cancer progression.
- The specific role and regulatory mechanisms of MEG3 in multiple myeloma (MM) remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the biological role and regulatory mechanism of MEG3 in MM development.
- To investigate the MEG3/miR-181a interaction in MM.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of MEG3 and miR-181a expression in MM patient data.
- In vitro assays (Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometry) and in vivo mouse models to assess MEG3 function.
- Mechanism experiments including dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation.
Main Results:
- MEG3 was downregulated in MM patients and associated with tumor progression.
- miR-181a was overexpressed in MM and promoted cancer.
- MEG3 acts as a competing endogenous RNA to inhibit MM progression by sponging miR-181a, thereby positively regulating HOXA11.
Conclusions:
- This study establishes the MEG3/miR-181a/HOXA11 regulatory network in MM.
- MEG3 shows potential as a therapeutic target for MM.
Related Concept Videos
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
02:36RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
01:32RNA Splicing
01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
02:18Alternative RNA Splicing
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...