Journal Article

In vivo functional analysis of non-conserved human lncRNAs associated with cardiometabolic traits

Chen, Yi, Ohnishi, Yasuyuki, Shepherdson, James, Singh, Komudi, Jiang, Cheng-fei, Li, Ping, Suresh, Abhilash, Cao, Haiming, Nishiwaki, Megumi, Pirooznia, Mehdi, Suemizu, Hiroshi, Ruan, Xiangbo, Yoneda, Nao, Ma, Yonghe, Shi, Yu, Seifuddin, Fayaz

2020

Overview

Unlike protein-coding genes, the majority of human long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered non-conserved. Although lncRNAs have been shown to function in diverse pathophysiological processes in mice, it remains largely unknown whether human lncRNAs have such in vivo functions. Here, we describe an integrated pipeline to define the in vivo function of non-conserved human lncRNAs. We first identify lncRNAs with high function potential using multiple indicators derived from human genetic data related to cardiometabolic traits, then define lncRNA’s function and specific target genes by integrating its correlated biological pathways in humans and co-regulated genes in a humanized mouse model. Finally, we demonstrate that the in vivo function of human-specific lncRNAs can be successfully examined in the humanized mouse model, and experimentally validate the predicted function of an obesity-associated lncRNA, LINC01018, in regulating the expression of genes in fatty acid oxidation in humanized livers through its interaction with RNA-binding protein HuR. Majority of human long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are not conserved in mouse. Here the authors identify metabolic trait-associated lncRNA genes and show a functional role of a non-conserved human lncRNA, LINC01018, in lipid metabolism using a humanized mouse model.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 13/106 / 38/91 / 45/90 / 631/208 / 631/337 / 631/337/384/2568 / 64/60 / 692/699 / Animals / Base Sequence / Biology / Conserved Sequence / ELAV-Like Protein 1 - genetics / ELAV-Like Protein 1 - metabolism / Epigenesis, Genetic / Fatty acids / Fatty Acids - genetics / Fatty Acids - metabolism / Functional analysis / Gene expression / Genes / Genome-Wide Association Study / Genomes / Hepatocytes - physiology / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / HuR protein / Laboratory animals / Liver / Liver - metabolism / Liver - physiology / Liver Diseases - genetics / Liver Diseases - metabolism / Male / Metabolism / Methyltransferases - genetics / Mice, Inbred C57BL / Mice, Transgenic / multidisciplinary / Non-coding RNA / Obesity - genetics / Obesity - metabolism / Oxidation / Physiology / Proteins / Quantitative Trait Loci / Ribonucleic acid / RNA / RNA, Long Noncoding - physiology / RNA-binding protein / Science / Science (multidisciplinary)