A BRAF-activated noncoding RNA attenuates clear cell renal cell carcinoma via repression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a disease rooted in metabolic disorders, distinguished by abnormally high activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). G6PD serves as a key rate-limiting enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway. Meanwhile, BRAF-activated noncoding RNA (BANCR) has emerged as a crucial regulatory factor linked to various cancers. The expression pattern of BANCR varies across different cancer types, exhibiting apparent duality in its function. However, the precise role and underlying mechanisms of BANCR in ccRCC tumorigenesis remain incompletely understood. Our study indicated that BANCR was downregulated in ccRCC and influenced cell survival by modulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and G6PD enzyme activity. The underlying mechanism was that BANCR could directly bind to G6PD through a long noncoding RNA-protein interaction, ultimately inhibiting G6PD activity by impeding its dimer formation. Moreover, BANCR exhibited the capability to modulate the glucose metabolic flow in ccRCC cells. Subsequent experiments demonstrated a significant inhibition of tumor growth in vivo upon overexpression of BANCR, and G6PD played a pivotal role in mediating the tumor-suppressive effect of BANCR in ccRCC cells. In conclusion, this study provides novel insights into the molecular pathogenesis of ccRCC, highlights a distinct and new regulatory mechanism responsible for the ectopic overactivation of G6PD in ccRCC progression, and suggests that BANCR-mediated suppression of G6PD activity could emerge as a potential therapeutic strategy for ccRCC treatment.