A promoter-associated RNA downregulates the oncogenic GLI1 transcription factor in rhabdomyosarcoma cells

Recent experimental evidence demonstrates a novel regulatory mechanism on the expression of the GLI1 oncogene, a transcriptional effector of Hedgehog signaling. This is mediated by a non-coding RNA, antisense to the GLI1 promoter, GLI1AS, which elicits negative feedback on GLI1 expression. Knockdown of GLI1AS was shown to enhance rhabdomyosarcoma tumor growth in a xenograft model, in-line with the observed increase of the expression levels of GLI1, a known proliferative/oncogenic factor in this cellular context.