Figure 5.

The lncRNA-protein circuit for control the transcriptional states and metabolic plasticity in melanoma. lncRNAs (marked by the magenta font in the pink circles) can be activated from their own promoters by some transcriptional factors (e.g. MYC) in response to environmental signals (e.g. hypoxia). In contrast, their expression could be suppressed by other transcriptional factors (e.g. MITF). Once expressed, lncRNAs can bind proteins or target genes for their activation or suppression. In melanoma cells, lncRNAs and protein factors form a circuit for the reciprocal inhibition between proliferative/MEL and invasive/MES states, putatively in response to input signal such hypoxia. MEL and MES, melanocytic and mesenchymal phenotype, respectively. Part of the figure is generated using birender.com (2022).