Long non-coding RNA from the antisense strand in the homeobox A (HOXA gene).
HOXA11-AS lncRNA is a long non-coding RNA from the antisense strand in the homeobox A (HOXA gene). The HOX gene contains four clusters (A, B, C, and D). The sense strand of the HOXA gene codes for proteins. Alternative names for HOXA11-AS lncRNA are: HOXA-AS5, HOXA11S, HOXA11-AS1, HOXA11AS, or NCRNA00076. This gene is 3,885 nucleotides long and resides at chromosome 7 (7p15.2) and is transcribed from an independent gene promoter.[1][2] Being a lncRNA, it is longer than 200 nucleotides in length, in contrast to regular non-coding RNAs.[3]
The HOX genes code for transcription factors that are key to embryonic development.[4] This lncRNA is one of the three lncRNAs present in the 5-prime region of the HOXA11 gene. The other two lncRNAs are HOXA10-AS and HOTTIP. Of these lncRNAs, HOXA11-AS, is the most conserved sequence in a wide range of organisms, which shows its longevity in the phylogenetic tree.[5] Since HOX genes play a prominent role in embryogenesis and carcinogenesis, genes on the sense strand and antisense non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes are often studied in their role of aberrant epithelial differentiation and cancer development.[5]