Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha antisense RNA 1 (HNF4A-AS1)

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha antisense RNA 1 (HNF4A-AS1) is a long noncoding RNA transcribed antisense to the HNF4A gene, located between the HNF4α P1 and P2 promoters on chromosome 20. HNF4A-AS1 is predominantly nuclear and functions as a regulator of transcription and chromatin state, impacting genes involved in drug metabolism (notably CYP3A4), hepatocellular carcinoma suppression, and viral infection responses. It physically interacts with proteins such as PCBP2 to mediate ubiquitin-dependent degradation, influences the mRNA stability of cancer-associated genes (e.g., AGR2), and acts as a scaffold modulating histone modifications at target promoters. Downregulation of HNF4A-AS1 is associated with worse prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma and increased susceptibility to drug- and virus-induced liver injury, making it a putative diagnostic and therapeutic RNA target. No current drugs directly target HNF4A-AS1, but its expression modulates response to agents metabolized via the cytochrome P450 pathway.

Other names

uc002xlxHNF4A-AS1HNF4A antisense RNA 1NR_109949.1

Modulates transcription and RNA stability via antisense pairing and scaffold functions; Alters histone modification status (e.g., H3K4me3, H3K27me3) at CYP3A4 and other promoters; Regulates downstream gene expression by RNA-protein interaction (notably with PCBP2, AIP4)