Prohibitin 2 orchestrates long noncoding RNA and gene transcription to accelerate tumorigenesis

Abstract The spatial co-presence of aberrant long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and abnormal coding genes contributes to malignancy development in various tumors. However, precise coordinated mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in tumorigenesis remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that Prohibitin 2 (PHB2) orchestrates the transcription of an oncogenic CASC15-New-Isoform 2 (CANT2) lncRNA and the coding tumor-suppressor gene CCBE1, thereby accelerating melanoma tumorigenesis. In melanoma cells, PHB2 initially accesses the open chromatin sites at the CANT2 promoter, recruiting MLL2 to augment H3K4 trimethylation and activate CANT2 transcription. Intriguingly, PHB2 further binds the activated CANT2 transcript, targeting the promoter of the tumor-suppressor gene CCBE1. This interaction recruits histone deacetylase HDAC1 to decrease H3K27 acetylation at the CCBE1 promoter and inhibit its transcription, significantly promoting tumor cell growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Our study elucidates a PHB2-mediated mechanism that orchestrates the aberrant transcription of lncRNAs and coding genes, providing an intriguing epigenetic regulatory model in tumorigenesis.