A Long Non-coding RNA, PSORS1C3, Located Upstream of the Human Oct4 Gene is Expressed in Pluripotent and Tumor Cell Lines

Objectives: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a vast class of recently discovered non-coding genes in the human genome, have been implicated in the regulation of several biological processes, including the maintenance of stem cell pluripotency and neurogenesis. New evidences have emerged that some long IncRNAs act as enhancers for their neighboring genes. Oct4, also known as POU5F1 and Oct3/4, functions as a master regulator in maintaining the properties of pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem (ES) cells and embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells. Oct-4 expression must be tightly regulated; too much or too little expression can lead to cell differentiation. Methods: PSORS1C3, an IncRNA, is located upstream of the Oct4 gene. This IncRNA could potentially impact the level of Oct4 expression. Here, we have investigated potential expression of PSORS1C3 on 23 different human pluripotent and cancer cell lines by means of RT-PCR. Results: Our results revealed a noticeable expression of PSORS1C3 both in a well-known pluripotent cell line (NTera2/NT2) and five different cancer cell lines (AGS, 5637, Ht-29, HepG2 and PC3). Conclusion: We detected the expression of PSORS1C3 for the first time in both cancer cell lines and stem cells.