Regulation of mammalian cell differentiation by long non-coding RNAs.
Differentiation of specialized cell types from stem and progenitor cells is tightly regulated at several levels, both during development and during somatic tissue homeostasis. Many long non-coding RNAs have been recognized as an additional layer of regulation in the specification of cellular identities; these non-coding species can modulate gene-expression programmes in various biological contexts through diverse mechanisms at the transcriptional, translational or messenger RNA stability levels. Here, we summarize findings that implicate long non-coding RNAs in the control of mammalian cell differentiation. We focus on several representative differentiation systems and discuss how specific long non-coding RNAs contribute to the regulation of mammalian development.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Wenqian
W
Hu
Juan R
JR
Alvarez-Dominguez
Harvey F
HF
Lodish
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008322:Mammals; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding