LncRNA RUSC1-AS1 promotes the proliferation of breast cancer cells by epigenetic silence of KLF2 and CDKN1A
Authors: R Wang
Y-W Liang
J-L Hu
J-W Liang
L-F Liu
C-C Hu
Journal: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences (2019)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: lncRNA; RUSC1-AS1; breast cancer; progression; tumor size
Affiliations: Department of Oncology, the Affiliate Hospital of Chengde Medical University, Chengde, China. .

Abstract:  Objective: To clarify the potential function of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) RUSC1-AS1 in regulating the progression of breast cancer (BCa) and the underlying mechanism. Patients and methods: RUSC1-AS1 level in BCa tissues and adjacent normal tissues was first determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlation between RUSC1-AS1 expression with tumor size, clinical stage and overall survival of BCa patients was analyzed. Influences of RUSC1-AS1 knockdown on viability, clonality, cell cycle and apoptosis of BCa cell lines MCF-7 and BT549 were evaluated. Target genes of RUSC1-AS1 were predicted by bioinformatics, and their interaction was further confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and rescue experiments. Results: A higher abundance of RUSC1-AS1 was identified in BCa tissues relative to controls. The expression level of RUSC1-AS1 was positively correlated to tumor size and clinical grade, but negatively correlated to the overall survival of BCa patients. The silence of RUSC1-AS1 markedly inhibited viability, clonality, cell cycle progression, and induced apoptosis of MCF-7 and BT549 cells. Finally, CDKN1A and KLF2 were found to be the target genes of RUSC1-AS1, which were tumor-suppressor genes involved in RUSC1-AS1-mediated BCa progression. Conclusions: RUSC1-AS1 is highly expressed in BCa, which promotes the progression of BCa through mediating CDKN1A and KLF2. RUSC1-AS1 may serve as a potential hallmark for BCa. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
  BCa tissues and adjacent normal tissues (n=48) were collected from BCa patients undergoing surgery for the first time in the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University from March 2015 to March 2017. Fig 2D.  BCa patients with high-level RUSC1-AS1 had the worse overall survival than those with low level. ![file] Authors recruited patients between **6 and 4 years ago**, and tracked their survival **for 10 years**. , 
 #1 Perhaps the lab has access to a flux capacitor. , 
 Authors are unsure whether the corresponding author is Rui Wang or Chan-Chan Hu. ![file] , 
 The amount of male patients with breast cancer is also remarkable. Not impossible (men can get breast cancer too), but remarkable. ![file] , 
 See [Fan et al (2018)] for a similar combination of time travel and high male breast-related morbidity. , 
 Table 1... ![] Table 1 from [Zhang, Liu Wang (2020)] . ![] Very little effort went into changing the numbers. , 
 Fig 2D... ![] For comparison with 1D from [Zhang, Liu Wang (2020)] . ![] , 
 Retracted [September 2022] . ------------------ The article u201cLncRNA RUSC1-AS1 promotes the proliferation of breast cancer cells by epigenetic silence of KLF2 and CDKN1A, by C.-C. Hu, Y.-W. Liang, J.-L. Hu, L.-F. Liu, J.-W. Liang, R. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (15): 6602-6611u2013DOI: 10.26355 eurrev_201908_18548u2013PMID: 31378902u201d has been retracted by the authors. After publication, the article was questioned on PubPeer. Concerns were raised about Figure 2, Table I, and the reliability of the published results. The same authors stated that they want to rearrange the manuscript and provide readers with a more precise model. ,