title: An Alu-like RNA promotes cell differentiation and reduces malignancy of human neuroblastoma cells.
abstract: Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric cancer characterized by remarkable cell heterogeneity within the tumor nodules. Here, we demonstrate that the synthesis of a pol III-transcribed noncoding (nc) RNA (NDM29) strongly restricts NB development by promoting cell differentiation, a drop of malignancy processes, and a dramatic reduction of the tumor initiating cell (TIC) fraction in the NB cell population. Notably, the overexpression of NDM29 also confers to malignant NB cells an unpredicted susceptibility to the effects of antiblastic drugs used in NB therapy. Altogether, these results suggest the induction of NDM29 expression as possible treatment to increase cancer cells vulnerability to therapeutics and the measure of its synthesis in NB explants as prognostic factor of this cancer type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Biology, and Genetics, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castelnuovo
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Massone
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tasso
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiorino
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robello
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gatta
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strub
authors.forename: Tullio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Florio
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dieci
authors.forename: Ranieri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cancedda
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pagano
mesh_terms: D020087:Alu Elements; D001483:Base Sequence; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers