Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 240 (LINC00240)

Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 240 (LINC00240) is a human long non-coding RNA gene located at 6p22.2 (chromosome 6:26956915-27059749). It is not translated into protein but plays regulatory roles in gene expression. LINC00240 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA, binding and sequestering microRNAs such as miR-7-5p and miR-338-5p, which in turn influences key signaling molecules like EGFR in lung cancer and METTL3 in gastric cancer. LINC00240 promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and its high expression is associated with more advanced tumor stages and poorer prognosis. It is emerging as a potential target for therapeutic intervention and/or biomarker in specific cancers, although no drugs directly targeting LINC00240 are in clinical use per current literature.

Other names

bA373D17.1C6orf41NCRNA00240LINC00240

Molecular sponge: Binds and sequesters specific microRNAs including miR-7-5p and miR-338-5p, derepressing their target genes (such as EGFR and METTL3), leading to increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion