Malat-1 is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) over-expressed in several types of cancers. In a large number of studies, its interaction was shown with several micro-RNAs, the degradation of which results in the de-repression of the genes causing cancers. As lncRNAs are known to regulate gene expression by diverse mechanisms, here in the present study we addressed by insilico methods of whether Malat-1 lncRNA has any interaction to sponge away the mRNA of genes, whose repression may lead to cancers. Through these studies, we predicted that Malat-1 lncRNA could interact with the mRNA of several tumor suppressor genes and genes of DNA repair mechanisms. Further in vitro/in vivo studies can lead to a better understanding of these mechanisms and hence on therapeutic aspects.
Authors: Divya Khatri and Kiran Kumar Battula
Affiliation: Keshav Memorial Institute of Commerce and Sciences, Hyderabad – 500029