Long noncoding RNA PANDAR blocks CDKN1A gene transcription by competitive interaction with p53 protein in gastric cancer

Emerging evidence indicates that lncRNAs play important roles in cancer tumourigenesis and could be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the expression and role of lncRNAs in GC. The relative expression level of lncRNAs in GC samples was examined by an lncRNA microarray analysis, northern blot analysis and qRT-PCR analysis. A Kaplan−Meier survival analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were performed to evaluate the clinical and prognostic significance of PANDAR (promoter of CDKN1A antisense DNA damage activated RNA) in GC patients. The binding activity of PANDAR with the p53 protein was analysed by an RNA immunoprecipitation analysis and RNA pull-down analysis. The depletion of PANDAR was conducted using the CRISPR/Cas9 system for PANDAR. The biological functions of PANDAR in GC cells were determined both in vitro and in vivo. Upregulated PANDAR in GC patients was positively correlated with increased tumour size, advanced TNM classification and a poor survival rate in GC patients. The ROC curves identified that the PANDAR level was a marker for discriminating the early-stage tumour group from the healthy group, the metastasis group from the non-metastasis group and the chemoresistance group from the chemosensitive group in GC patients. As a target, the CDKN1A gene was successfully downregulated by PANDAR. PANDAR controlled the transcription of the CDKN1A gene by competitively binding with p53 protein. In combination with a p53 activator (nutlin3), the knockout of PANDAR by CRISPR/Cas9 technology synergistically inhibited GC tumour growth in vivo. Our results suggest that the PANDAR is a powerful diagnostic and therapeutic marker for patients with GC and, combined with other chemotherapeutics, may have distinct antitumour effects.