Androgen-induced lncRNA POTEF-AS1 regulates apoptosis-related pathway to facilitate cell survival in prostate cancer cells

Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been associated with a variety of cancers, the interplay between lncRNAs and androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer is still unclear. We identified an androgen-dependent lncRNA, POTEF-AS1, whose expression was regulated by androgen receptor in two androgen- dependent cells by using directional RNA sequencing analysis. POTEF-AS1 promoted cell growth, repressed genes related to the Toll-like receptor signaling and apoptosis pathways, and inhibited apoptosis in docetaxel-treated LNCaP cells. These findings suggest that POTEF-AS1 would play a key role in the progression of prostate cancer by repressing Toll-like receptor signaling.