DNA damage induces p53-dependent activation of the lncRNA TCERG1L-AS1 to regulate cell proliferation

While long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as critical regulators in stress responses, a systematic characterization of those regulated by p53 has remained incomplete. In this study, we adopted an integrative strategy that combined curated p53 ChIP-seq data with publicly available transcriptome profiles to identify lncRNAs potentially regulated by p53. Among these, we identified TCERG1L-AS1, a lncRNA whose promoter region contains canonical p53-binding motifs, as also demonstrated by luciferase reporter assays. TCERG1L-AS1 expression is specifically induced under genotoxic and oxidative stress, but not in response to metabolic stress, and its induction is dependent on functional p53. Functionally, enforced expression of TCERG1L-AS1 triggers G1-phase arrest and inhibits cellular proliferation and migration, as shown by flow cytometry, MTT, wound healing, and transwell migration assays. Transcriptome-wide analyses following TCERG1L-AS1 overexpression or silencing did not identify a consistent downstream effector, supporting emerging models in which certain lncRNAs act through indirect or scaffold-based mechanisms. Collectively, these findings establish TCERG1L-AS1 as a novel p53-regulated lncRNA with functional significance in tumor suppression and cellular stress responses.