Long Noncoding RNA PCED1B-AS1 Promotes the Warburg Effect and Tumorigenesis by Upregulating HIF-1α in Glioblastoma

Accumulating evidence suggests that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) functions as a critical regulator in cancer biology. Here, we characterized the role of lncRNA PCED1B antisense RNA 1 (PCED1B-AS1) in glioblastoma (GBM). PCED1B-AS1 was notably upregulated in GBM tissues and cell lines and closely associated with larger tumor size and higher grade. Patients with high PCED1B-AS1 had shorter survival time than those with low PCED1B-AS1. Functional experiments showed that depletion of PCED1B-AS1 significantly inhibited, while overexpression of PCED1B-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, glucose uptake, and lactate release. Mechanistically, PCED1B-AS1 was able to directly bind to the 5′-UTR of HIF-1α mRNA and potentiate HIF-1α translation, leading to increased HIF-1α protein level, thereby promoting the Warburg effect and tumorigenesis. Importantly, PCED1B-AS1 lost the carcinogenic properties in the absence of HIF-1α. In addition, we also confirmed the existence of the PCED1B-AS1/HIF-1α regulatory axis in vivo. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that PCED1B-AS1 is a novel oncogenic lncRNA in GBM and functions in a HIF-1α-dependent manner, which provides a promising prognostic biomarker and druggable target for GBM.