DRP000086
Survey of short RNA expression after interference of RNAs expressed from             retrotransposons
Here, we report in detail the first use of RNA interference against             LINE-1 transposed element RNAs, in an effort to ascertain their functional significance.             Using mouse myoblasts as a model system, we observed clear phenotypic consequences post             knock-down of LINE-1 transcription. Deep sequencing of capped mRNAs and short RNAs was             then used to survey transcriptional activity in wild-type and LINE-1 knock-down             myoblasts, revealing strong expression changes within the gene networks that govern             muscle cell differentiation, thousands of differentially expressed LINE-1 copies and             evidence for a global mechanism by which LINE-1 RNAs may regulate protein-coding gene             expression.
Short RNAs (sRNAs) originating in pseudogenes and retrotransposons have been             demonstrated to function as trans-regulatory elements in mammals. It followed therefore             that the observed myogenesis phenotypes may have been caused by the perturbation of             LINE-1 derived and/or other sRNAs, which are known to affect numerous cellular processes             including differentiation. We therefore sequenced 2.1 million 16-40nt sRNAs from C2C12             muscle cells.