Long Noncoding RNAs in Human Stemness and Differentiation. Issue 7 (July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mirzadeh Azad, Fatemeh; Polignano, Isabelle Laurence; Proserpio, Valentina; Oliviero, Salvatore
• Is Part Of: Trends in cell biology. Volume 31:Issue 7(2021)
• Page Start: 542
• Page End: 555
• Publication Date: 2021-07
• Subjects: long noncoding RNAs -- human pluripotent stem cells -- neuroectoderm -- mesoderm -- endoderm; Cytology -- Periodicals; Cytology -- Research -- Periodicals; 571.6
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2021.02.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0962-8924

Abstract

Abstract : There is increasing evidence that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are among the main regulatory factors of stem cell maintenance and differentiation. They act through various mechanisms and interactions with proteins, DNA, and RNA. This heterogeneity in function increases the capabilities of the lncRNome toolkit but also makes it difficult to predict the function of novel lncRNAs or even rely on biological information produced in animal models. As lncRNAs are species- and tissue-specific, the recent technical advances in self-renewal and differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) make these cells the ideal system to identify key regulatory lncRNAs and study their molecular functions. Here we provide an overview of the functional versatility of lncRNA mechanistic heterogeneity in regulating pluripotency maintenance and human differentiation. Highlights: Embryonic differentiation at the gastrulation stage is a very tightly regulated process in which many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in gene expression modulation. lncRNAs can regulate cellular functions at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels. lncRNAs exert a large repertoire of regulatory functions both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm.