Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy
09:40

Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy

Published on: October 4, 2019

5.7K

Dangerous RNA links pave the way to glioblastoma

Magda Bienko1

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17165, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, 17165, Sweden; Human Technopole, via Rita Levi Montalcini 1, Milan, 20157, Italy.

Molecular Cell
|May 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were found to activate the therapeutic target miR-10b in glioblastoma. This discovery reveals a novel mechanism for transcriptional activation in cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive brain tumor with limited therapeutic options.
  • Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in gene regulation and cancer development.
  • Understanding gene regulatory mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate the HOXD3/D4/miR-10b gene cluster in glioblastoma.
  • To identify potential therapeutic targets within this regulatory pathway.

Main Methods:

  • The study utilized molecular biology techniques to investigate the interaction between lncRNAs and the HOXD3/D4/miR-10b gene promoter.
  • Chromatin conformation capture and gene expression analysis were employed.

Main Results:

  • Two specific lncRNAs were identified as crucial mediators.
  • These lncRNAs were shown to physically link a distal enhancer region to the HOXD3/D4/miR-10b gene promoter.
  • This interaction resulted in the transcriptional activation of miR-10b.

Conclusions:

  • The findings reveal a novel mechanism of transcriptional regulation involving lncRNAs in glioblastoma.
  • miR-10b is identified as a key therapeutic target activated by this lncRNA-mediated enhancer-promoter interaction.
  • This study provides new insights into glioblastoma pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies.

More Related Videos

Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Glioma-infiltrating Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells12:52

Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Glioma-infiltrating Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Published on: November 28, 2015

16.0K
Detection of Cell-Free DNA in Blood Plasma Samples of Cancer Patients08:25

Detection of Cell-Free DNA in Blood Plasma Samples of Cancer Patients

Published on: September 9, 2020

11.3K

Related Concept Videos

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
5.5K
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
4.3K
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a...
6.5K
Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R...
5.3K
The Retinoblastoma Gene01:20

The Retinoblastoma Gene

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
4.2K
Non-LTR Retrotransposons03:18

Non-LTR Retrotransposons

As the name suggests, non-LTR retrotransposons lack the long terminal repeats characteristic of the LTR retrotransposons. Additionally, both LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons use distinct mechanisms of mobilization. Non-LTR retrotransposons are further divided into two classes - Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), both of which occur abundantly in most mammals, including humans. Some of the active non-LTR retrotransposons in humans are L1...
11.9K