The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project ranges from discovery research in the biological and other life sciences to applications in laboratory and clinical medicine. The PVT1 non-protein coding gene is very important in both disease and non-disease biological states. This project is producing multiple novel tools potentially useful for research, diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic applications. The new tools being developed have applications in bioimaging and discovery research and development, with impact extending beyond disease states where PVT1-derived non-coding RNAs and their molecular targets may be abnormal into non-disease states across the full spectrum of biological systems where PVT1-derived non-coding RNAs and their molecular targets may be relevant.
This I-Corps project focuses on the non-coding gene locus, PVT1, located on the 8q24 chromosome. PVT1 is important in normal and abnormal biological states. PVT1 has at least 12 different exons and encodes six microRNAs, which are differentially expressed in prostate cancer (PCa). PVT1 exon 9 may be a biomarker of aggressive PCa, and microRNA-1207-3p has prognostic value in PCa, and regulates a new fibronectin domain containing 1 (FNDC1)/fibronectin (FN1)/androgen receptor (AR) molecular pathway that is associated with metastatic PCa. Consequently, PVT1 exon 9 primers (patent pending) were invented for detection of both cellular and cell-free PVT1 exon 9, and siRNAs (patent pending) that silence expression of PVT1 exon 9 and inhibit PCa tumor cell phenotypes were invented. For discovery of the molecular mechanisms of action of microRNA-1207-3p, a novel synthetic biotinylated microRNA-1207-3p duplex (patent pending) was invented. The usefulness of this novel synthetic biotinylated microRNA-1207-3p duplex in bioimaging, and inhibition of PCa tumor cell phenotypes has been demonstrated.
