Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial tumor in childhood. Recent studies have implicated the emerging roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis and aggressiveness. However, the functions and targets of risk-associated lncRNAs in NB progression still remain to be determined. Herein, through mining of public microarray datasets, we identify lncRNA forkhead box D3 antisense RNA 1 (FOXD3-AS1) as an independent prognostic marker for favorable outcome of NB patients. FOXD3-AS1 is downregulated in NB tissues and cell lines, and ectopic expression of FOXD3-AS1 induces neuronal differentiation and decreases the aggressiveness of NB cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, as a nuclear lncRNA, FOXD3-AS1 interacts with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) to inhibit the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and activation of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), resulting in derepressed expression of downstream tumor-suppressive genes. Rescue experiments indicate that FOXD3-AS1 harbors tumor-suppressive properties by inhibiting the oncogenic roles of PARP1 or CTCF and plays crucial roles in all-trans-retinoic-acid-mediated therapeutic effects on NB. Administration of FOXD3-AS1 construct or siRNAs against PARP1 or CTCF reduces the tumor growth and prolongs the survival of nude mice. These findings suggest that as a risk-associated lncRNA, FOXD3-AS1 inhibits the progression of NB through repressing PARP1-mediated CTCF activation.