Identification and Characterization of an Antisense RNA Transcript (GFG) from the Human Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Gene

In 1994, Murphy and Knee conducted a study to identify and characterize an antisense RNA transcript from the human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene, which they named gfg. They discovered that this transcript could regulate the stability of bFGF mRNA, which is known to be overexpressed in certain tumor cells. The researchers used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to amplify and sequence a 301-basepair fragment of the antisense RNA from human cells, finding a 73% identity to a previously identified Xenopus antisense sequence. They observed that the antisense transcript was expressed in normal rat tissues and human breast cancer cells with low bFGF mRNA levels, but not in glioma cells with high bFGF expression, suggesting a regulatory role. The study concluded that the antisense RNA might control bFGF expression, potentially influencing the development of some tumors.