Inhibition of lncRNA NEAT1 sensitizes medulloblastoma cells to cisplatin through modulating the miR-23a-3p-glutaminase (GLS) axis

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a commonly occurring brain malignancy in adolescence. Currently, the combination of chemotherapy with subsequent irradiation is a regular therapeutic strategy. However, high dosage of chemotherapy is associated with drug resistance and side effects. The long non-coding RNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1), which is frequently overexpressed in diverse human tumors, is correlated with worse survival rate in cancer patients. Currently, the precise roles of NEAT1 in MB and chemoresistance remain unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the biological functions of NEAT1 in cisplatin-resistant medulloblastoma. We report that NEAT1 was significantly upregulated in medulloblastoma patient specimens. Silencing NEAT1 significantly suppressed MB cell proliferation and sensitized MB cells to cisplatin. In cisplatin-resistant MB cell line, DAOY Cis R, NEAT1 expression, and glutamine metabolism were remarkably upregulated in cisplatin-resistant cells. Under low glutamine supply, cisplatin-resistant cells displayed increased cisplatin sensitivity. Bioinformatical analysis and luciferase assay uncovered that NEAT1 functions as a ceRNA of miR-23a-3p to downregulate its expressions in MB cells. Moreover, miR-23a-3p was apparently downregulated in MB patient tissues and cisplatin resistant MB cells. We identified GLS (glutaminase), a glutamine metabolism enzyme, was directly targeted by miR-23a-3p in MB cells. Rescue experiments demonstrated restoration of miR-23a-3p in NEAT1-overexpressing DAOY cisplatin resistant cells successfully overcame the NEAT1-promoted cisplatin resistance by targeting GLS. In general, our results revealed new molecular mechanisms for the lncRNA-NEAT1-mediated cisplatin sensitivity of MB.