Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 997 (LINC00997)

LINC00997 is a long intergenic non-protein coding RNA, 472 nucleotides in length (genomic location: chr8:32758881-32759353), expressed predominantly in cytoplasm. It is upregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cells, and its increased RNA copy number correlates with tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, LINC00997 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA), sequestering microRNA-574-3p, which normally suppresses the oncogenic gene cullin 2 (CUL2). This interaction leads to increased CUL2 expression, resulting in activation of MAPK signaling and promotion of malignant phenotypes—cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and autophagy—in cervical cancer[2][4]. LINC00997 has also been implicated in other cancers, but functional data are most robust in cervical cancer. No drugs directly target LINC00997 in clinical use or late-stage development[2][4][3].