“Study of Novel Exosomal Long Non-Coding RNA NAMPT-AntiSense and its Interrelation to NAMPT Protein as Potential Molecular Key Player(s) in Colorectal Cancer”

Summary

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 7th most common cancer in Egypt. Interestingly, exosomes, which are nano-sized secreted vesicles, have been highlighted as critical players in modern oncology with a key role in CRC initiation, progression and metastasis; acting as shuttles transferring specific cargos of proteins, mRNA, as well as non-coding RNAs. Recently, the novel long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase-antisense (NAMPT-AS) was found to be upregulated in triple negative breast cancer, and was also found to regulate the expression of NAMPT; the rate limiting metabolic enzyme in NAD+ biosynthesis and whose interrelation with carcinogenesis has been previously highlighted. Thus, the current project aims to investigate exosomal NAMPT-AS in Egyptian CRC patients, and compare these levels to apparently healthy volunteers. Additionally, we will study the association of this novel exosomal LncRNA with the NAMPT expression levels in the tumor tissue, and NAMPT protein serum levels, as well as classic CRC biomarkers like CA19.9 and/or CEA. Moreover, we shall investigate the NAMPT-AS/NAMPT axis expression levels in CRC cell-lines invitro and how serum exosomes derived from normal vs CRC patients can alter/regulate this axis as well as other interrelated molecular targets in these cell lines as a proof of their role in CRC carcinogenesis. The current project can indeed open new avenues and end-up with novel therapeutic target(s) for the deadly CRC.

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List of Publications from the Project

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