Long noncoding RNA LINC00261 induces chemosensitization to 5-fluorouracil by mediating methylation-dependent repression of DPYD in human esophageal cancer

Approximately 85% of a single administered dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) will be degraded by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DYPD). Studies have highlighted a link between the complete or partial loss of DYPD function and clinical responses to 5-FU; however, the underlying molecular basis of DPD deficiency remains poorly understood. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevailing hypothesis which suggests that overexpression of LINC00261 possesses the ability to modulate the methylation-dependent repression of DPYD, ultimately resulting in an elevation of the sensitivity of human esophageal cancer cells to 5-FU. LINC00261 levels were initially quantified, followed by analysis of DYPD methylation within the cancerous tissues collected from 75 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer undergoing 5-FU–based adjuvant chemotherapy. In an attempt to determine the levels of LINC00261 related to the esophageal cancer cell resistance to 5-FU and to identify the interaction between the levels of...