Nuclear Enriched Abundant Transcript 1 (NEAT1): A long non-coding RNA with diverse functions in tumorigenesis

Nuclear Enriched Abundant Transcript 1 (NEAT1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) which is a crucial structural constituent of paraspeckles and has an indispensable role in the formation of paraspeckle. Paraspeckles as nuclear sub-structures are placed in the nucleus interchromatin area and participate in the regulation of gene expression through various mechanisms including mRNA retaining, mRNA breakage, A-to-I editing and protein seizing. Several studies have noted participation of NEAT1 in the pathogenesis of human malignancies. Notably, studies have revealed distinct roles for this lncRNA in the pathogenesis of cancer. While most cancerous tissues exhibit up-regulation of NEAT1, expression of this lncRNA has been down-regulated in leukemia and multiple myeloma. Such distinctive pattern of expression implies diverse roles for this lncRNA in solid tumor versus hematological malignancies. Critical roles of NEAT1 in regulation of apoptosis, cell growth and proliferation, invasion and metastasis in several tissues indicate that this lncRNA might be a therapeutic target in various cancers. Moreover, expression level of this lncRNA in tumoral tissues has been associated with survival of patients. Consequently, this lncRNA might be regarded as biomarker for patients' follow-up.