title: Identification of a novel circularized transcript of the AML1 gene.
abstract: The AML1 gene is an essential transcription factor regulating the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into mature blood cells. Though at least 12 different alternatively spliced AML1 mRNAs are generated, three splice variants (AML1a, AML1b and AML1c) have been characterized. Here, using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with outward-facing primers, we identified a novel non-polyadenylated transcript from the AML1 gene, with exons 5 and 6 scrambled. The novel transcript resisted RNase R digestion, indicating it is a circular RNA structure that may originate from products of mRNA alternative splicing. The expression of the novel transcript in different cells or cell lines of human and a number of other species matched those of the canonical transcripts. The discovery provides additional evidence that circular RNA could stably exist in vivo in human, and may also help to understand the mechanism of the regulation of the AML1 gene transcription.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China.
authors.forename: Ai-ning
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xiu-hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yan-hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Xi-ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Zhi-fang
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lin-lin
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fang-gang
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Si-cheng
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hong-wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D005091:Exons; D006801:Humans; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C493728:RUNX1 protein, human