A work developed in the research center Applied Medicine (CIMA) of the University of Navarra identifies PINT, a non-coding gene that could mediate cancer suppression. The results have been published in the journal Genome Biology.

Only 20% of the human genome contains protein-coding genes. The rest is made up of long non-coding RNAs, or lncRNAs, and until recently it was thought that they had no function and therefore formed part of the so-called "genomic junk". "However, thanks to new genomic techniques we are finding that they regulate very important cellular processes and that they are altered in cancer," explains Oskar Marín, first author of work.

For more than 30 years, it has been known that the p53 protein plays an essential role in protecting our body against cancer. In fact, it is known as "the guardian of the genome". However, despite its intense study, the mechanisms by which it acts are still not well understood. "The study shows that the p53 protein induces the expression of a lncRNA, called PINT, which alters the configuration of the cell's epigenome (chemical alterations surrounding its DNA molecules) and produces changes in cell proliferation and survival".

The work was carried out in mouse cells, but the group also found a human version of PINT, similarly controlled by p53. "We saw that overexpression of PINT inhibits the proliferation of primary colon tumor cells. Moreover, we found that PINT levels are altered in patients with this disease. These results represent the first connection between the p53 pathway and lncRNA-mediated epigenetic regulation, giving these RNAs potential value as therapeutic targets," suggests Dr. Maite Huarte, the study director.