RNA sequencing reveals novel lncRNA modulators in gemini nanocurcumin–treated colorectal cancer cells

Due to a high rate of recurrence coupled with resistance towards modern therapies, colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered as the third cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Gemini curcumin (Gemini-Cur) is one of the last nanoformulation of curcumin with significant toxicity on colorectal cancer. Herein, we aimed to unravel the modulated lncRNAs, related mRNAs and downstream cellular pathways in Gemini-Cur treated HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. 9805 lncRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in nanocurcumin-treated cancer cells versus non treated group. The top 20 lncRNAs were selected for further studies and, 14,472 co-expression relationships between these RNAs and 70,711 mRNAs were identified. Among top 20 lncRNAs, tumor-suppressive C8orf31 and ARHGAP5-AS1, as well as oncogenic XIST, FTX, and NEAT1 were the most notable due to their involvements in cancer-related cellular pathways. Functional enrichment analyses demonstrated that the modulated lncRNAs and their targets are involved in cell cycle, p53 signaling, translation, and helicase activity pathways. In conclusion, our study elucidated new molecular mechanisms of nano-curcumin in the regulation of lncRNA expression and the discovery of potential targets in therapeutic interventions for CRC. More studies are needed to confirm the therapeutic implications of these findings.