Suppression of progenitor differentiation requires the long noncoding RNA ANCR.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate diverse processes, yet a potential role for lncRNAs in maintaining the undifferentiated state in somatic tissue progenitor cells remains uncharacterized. We used transcriptome sequencing and tiling arrays to compare lncRNA expression in epidermal progenitor populations versus differentiating cells. We identified ANCR (anti-differentiation ncRNA) as an 855-base-pair lncRNA down-regulated during differentiation. Depleting ANCR in progenitor-containing populations, without any other stimuli, led to rapid differentiation gene induction. In epidermis, ANCR loss abolished the normal exclusion of differentiation from the progenitor-containing compartment. The ANCR lncRNA is thus required to enforce the undifferentiated cell state within epidermis.
Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, California 94304, USA.
Markus
M
Kretz
Dan E
DE
Webster
Ross J
RJ
Flockhart
Carolyn S
CS
Lee
Ashley
A
Zehnder
Vanessa
V
Lopez-Pajares
Kun
K
Qu
Grace X Y
GX
Zheng
Jennifer
J
Chow
Grace E
GE
Kim
John L
JL
Rinn
Howard Y
HY
Chang
Zurab
Z
Siprashvili
Paul A
PA
Khavari
D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D034622:RNA Interference; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D059467:Transcriptome
C571057:ANCR long noncoding RNA, human; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D022661:RNA, Untranslated