The Role of MNX1-AS1 in Ovarian Cancer Resistance and Tumor Progression via RNA-RNA Interactions

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the deadliest gynecological malignancies, largely due to late diagnosis and the emergence of resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as key regulators of tumor progression and therapeutic adaptation. In this study, we performed integrative transcriptomic profiling of patient-derived TCGA ovarian tumor samples and carboplatin-resistant A2780 (CBDCA-R-A2780) cells to identify lncRNAs whose dysregulation overlaps between a cell-line resistance model and patient tumors. Our analyses revealed extensive transcriptional remodeling across both datasets, with MNX1-AS1 consistently emerging as a strongly deregulated transcript. Differential expression analysis showed robust upregulation of MNX1-AS1 in resistant cells and tumor tissues, accompanied by correlations with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related transcription factors such as FOXA1 and SNAI2 and inverse associations with epithelial markers including CDH1. Computational predictions using RIblast identified specific MNX1-AS1 binding regions with candidate miRNAs and mRNAs, prioritizing EMT-related transcripts (e.g., SNAI2, FOXA1, ZEB1) with favorable hybridization energies for future validation. Additional prioritized interactors included genes linked to stress response (IER2, FOSB) and invasion (MMP11, MMP1). Because A2780 has been discussed as an endometrioid-like/non-serous ovarian cancer model, mechanistic inferences primarily apply to this in vitro context, while TCGA analyses provide associative support rather than mechanistic validation. Collectively, these findings highlight MNX1-AS1 as a candidate regulator associated with transcriptional reprogramming in OC and a promising prognostic biomarker warranting further functional testing.