Opioid growth factor receptor pseudogene 1 (OGFRP1)

Opioid growth factor receptor pseudogene 1 (OGFRP1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) located on chromosome 22q13.2. Unlike protein-coding opioid growth factor receptor (OGFR), OGFRP1 does not encode a functional protein receptor. Instead, it regulates gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, functioning as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that sponges microRNAs such as miR-124-3p and miR-4640-5p, thereby modulating targets such as SARM1 and eIF5A. OGFRP1 is up-regulated in multiple human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial and cervical carcinoma, and its overexpression is associated with cancer progression, poor prognosis, increased proliferation, migration, and inhibition of apoptosis. Knockdown of OGFRP1 can block tumor cell proliferation, induce cell cycle arrest, and promote apoptosis. OGFRP1 is thus being investigated as a prognostic biomarker and a possible future therapeutic target in oncology.