7SK small nuclear RNA inhibits cancer cell proliferation through apoptosis induction

7SK small nuclear RNA (snRNA) is a 331–333-bp non-coding RNA, which recruits HEXIM 1/2 protein to inhibit positive elongation factor b (P-TEFb) activity. P-TEFb is an essential factor in alleviating promoter-proximal paused RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and initiating the productive elongation phase of gene transcription. Without this protein, Pol II will remain in its hypophosphorylated state, and no transcription occurs. In this study, we inhibited P-TEFb activity by over-expressing 7SK snRNA in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cancer cell line. This inhibition led to a significant decrease in cell viability, which can be due to the transcription inhibition. Moreover, 7SK snRNA over-expression promoted apoptosis in cancerous cells. Our results suggest 7SK snRNA as a potential endogenous anti-cancer agent, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that uses a long non-coding RNA’s over-expression against cancer cell growth and proliferation.