Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 2561 (LINC02561)

Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 2561 (LINC02561) is a non-coding RNA transcript that does not encode a protein; it resides between protein-coding genes on the genome[1][3][7]. LINC02561 expression is significantly elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and experimentally, it promotes cancer cell invasion and metastasis via the HIF1α/NDRG1/UPF1 axis[2]. Under hypoxic conditions, HIF1α upregulates LINC02561, enabling it to bind the NMD regulator UPF1 and interfere with NDRG1 mRNA degradation. This stabilizes NDRG1 protein levels and facilitates cancer progression[2]. LINC02561 may serve both as a diagnostic biomarker and as a potential therapeutic target in HCC[2][5]. In general, long intergenic non-coding RNAs such as LINC02561 regulate gene expression on multiple levels, influence cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and may interact with microRNAs, thus affecting diverse biological pathways and disease mechanisms[5][7]. No interacting drugs or direct safety guidelines are documented at present, as clinical-stage targeting of LINC02561 has not yet been reported.

Other names

RP11-445P17.8LINC02561

Not applicable; no approved drugs. Theoretically, inhibitors or RNA-targeting agents could modulate its oncogenic pathway.