A pan-cancer atlas of cancer hallmark-associated candidate driver lncRNAs

Substantial cancer genome sequencing efforts have discovered many important driver genes contributing to tumorigenesis. However, very little is known about the genetic alterations of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer. Thus, there is a need for systematic surveys of driver lncRNAs. Through integrative analysis of 5918 tumors across 11 cancer types, we revealed that lncRNAs have undergone dramatic genomic alterations, many of which are mutually exclusive with well-known cancer genes. Using the hypothesis of functional redundancy of mutual exclusivity, we developed a computational framework to identify driver lncRNAs associated with different cancer hallmarks. Applying it to pan-cancer data, we identified 378 candidate driver lncRNAs whose genomic features highly resemble the known cancer driver genes (e.g. high conservation and early replication). We further validated the candidate driver lncRNAs involved in 'Tissue Invasion and Metastasis' in lung adenocarcinoma and breast cancer, and also highlighted their potential roles in improving clinical outcomes. In summary, we have generated a comprehensive landscape of cancer candidate driver lncRNAs that could act as a starting point for future functional explorations, as well as the identification of biomarkers and lncRNA-based target therapy.