Identification and validation of a novel long non-coding RNA (LINC01465) in ovarian cancer

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is a heterogeneous disease usually diagnosed at advanced stages. Therefore, early detection is crucial for better survival. Despite the advances in ovarian research, mechanisms underlying EOC carcinogenesis are not elucidated. We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing to identify genes regulated by E2F5, a transcription factor involved in ovarian carcinogenesis. Results revealed several putative candidate genes (115 protein-coding genes, 20 lncRNAs, 6 pseudogenes, and 4 miRNAs). A literature review and bioinformatics analysis of these genes revealed a novel lncRNA candidate (LINC01465) in EOC. We validated LINC01465 by quantifying its expression in EOC cell lines and selected OVSAHO and SKOV3 as a model with high LINC01465 levels. We silenced LINC01465 and performed proliferation, wound healing, invasion, and drug resistance assays. Knocking-down LINC01465 resulted in reduced migration, suggesting potential involvement in EOC. Furthermore, to identify the significance of LINC01465 in chemoresistance, we assessed the LINC01465 levels in A2780 S cells treated with malformin, which revealed higher LINC01465 expression as compared to untreated A2780S cells implying the involvement of LINC01465 in cell death. Thus, this study unraveled the repertoire of E2F5 regulated candidate genes and suggested a putative role of LINC01465 in malformin-induced cell death in EOC.