LINC01929 promotes breast cancer progression through a TFRC-associated ferroptosis pathwayDownload PDF Download PDF ArticleOpen accessPublished: 09 July 2026Gang Li1,2 na1,Zhijun Yu1,3 na1,Hongmei Xu4 na1,Xianglin Sun1,Bing Wang1,Tianjiao Wei1,Yifei Liu5,Lisha Ye1,Hongmei Qiu1,6 &…Guohua Wang ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4810-85341,7 Cell Death Discovery (2026) Cite this article We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.SubjectsBreast cancerLong non-coding RNAsAbstractBreast cancer (BC) remains the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide, with persistent challenges such as drug resistance and tumor progression despite significant therapeutic advancements. The roles of ferroptosis and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in BC are not yet fully elucidated, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic targets. In this study, we investigated the function of LINC01929 in BC through a combination of in vitro and in vivo experiments, bioinformatics analysis, RNA pull-down mass spectrometry, and clinical tissue validation. We found that LINC01929 is significantly overexpressed in BC tissues and is associated with poor patient prognosis. Mechanistically, LINC01929 promoted malignant phenotypes in BC cells and was associated with reduced ferroptosis-related stress, with these effects being at least partly dependent on transferrin receptor (TFRC). Conversely, silencing LINC01929 led to reduced TFRC expression and induced ferroptosis in BC cells. Clinical data further confirmed that elevated TFRC levels correlate with aggressive tumor features and unfavorable outcomes. These findings suggest that targeting LINC01929 to regulate TFRC-mediated ferroptosis could represent a promising therapeutic strategy for BC, positioning both LINC01929 and TFRC as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.FundingGHW discloses support for the research of this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 82171190), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (grant number BE2018778), and the Nantong Science and Technology Project (grant number MS22021010).Author informationAuthor notesThese authors contributed equally: Gang Li, Zhijun Yu, Hongmei Xu.Authors and AffiliationsInstitute of Special Environmental Medicine and Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaGang Li, Zhijun Yu, Xianglin Sun, Bing Wang, Tianjiao Wei, Lisha Ye, Hongmei Qiu & Guohua WangHuzhou Health Vocational College, Huzhou, ChinaGang LiSecond People’s Hospital of Nantong, Nantong, ChinaZhijun YuDepartment of pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaHongmei XuDepartment of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaYifei LiuDepartment of Respiration, Nantong Geriatric Rehabilitation Hospital and Branch of Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaHongmei QiuXuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaGuohua WangAuthorsGang LiView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarZhijun YuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarHongmei XuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarXianglin SunView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarBing WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarTianjiao WeiView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYifei LiuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarLisha YeView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarHongmei QiuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarGuohua WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorsCorrespondence to Lisha Ye, Hongmei Qiu or Guohua Wang.Ethics declarationsCompeting interestsThe authors declare no competing interests.Ethics approval and consent to participateThe study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, China (Approval No. 2024-K063-01). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legally authorized representatives prior to enrollment. All murine experiments were reviewed and approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Nantong University (Approval No. S20221115-902) and were conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.Additional informationPublisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Supplementary informationSupplemental materials (download DOCX )Full uncropped Gels and Blots images (download PDF )Rights and permissionsOpen Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. 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