LINC00973 induces proliferation arrest of drug-treated cancer cells by preventing p21 degradation

Abrogation of cancer cells drug resistance is the major challenge in molecular oncology. Here, we demonstrate that long non-coding RNA LINC00973 is up-regulated in normal and cancer cells of different origins upon treatment with different chemotherapeutics and that this is a consequence of DNA damage response pathway activation or mitotic arrest. We have found that LINC00973 strongly increases p21 protein content by blocking its degradation, which results in proliferation slow down and apoptosis of drug-treated cells. These data might open a new avenue in development of more efficient anti-cancer drugs.