Interactome analysis reveals that lncRNA HULC promotes aerobic glycolysis through LDHA and PKM2

Interacting with proteins is a crucial way for long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) to exert their biological responses. Here we report a high throughput strategy to characterize lncRNA interacting proteins in vivo by combining tobramycin affinity purification and mass spectrometric analysis (TOBAP-MS). Using this method, we identify 140 candidate binding proteins for lncRNA highly upregulated in liver cancer (HULC). Intriguingly, HULC directly binds to two glycolytic enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Mechanistic study suggests that HULC functions as an adaptor molecule that enhances the binding of LDHA and PKM2 to fibroblast growth factor receptor type 1 (FGFR1), leading to elevated phosphorylation of these two enzymes and consequently promoting glycolysis. This study provides a convenient method to study lncRNA interactome in vivo and reveals a unique mechanism by which HULC promotes Warburg effect by orchestrating the enzymatic activities of glycolytic enzymes. Here the authors present a quantitative proteomics strategy to identify long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-binding proteins and demonstrate its application by characterizing the lncRNA HULC (highly upregulated in liver cancer), which is shown to interact with glycolytic enzymes and modulate their activity.