PLX008280

GSE62930: Human cells contain natural double-stranded RNAs with potential regulatory capacity

• Organsim human
• Type RNASEQ
• Target gene
• Project ARCHS4

Although recent evidence suggests that overlapping sense/antisense transcription is a common feature in higher eukaryotes, the possibility that overlapping transcripts could interact to each other and bear a specific biological function has not been explored. Here we show that a plethora of sense/antisense transcript pairs are co-expressed from 8q24.21 within the same cell and acquire a stable double-stranded RNA conformation. Interestingly, these molecules display predominantly nuclear localization and establish specific interactions with nuclear components. A detailed characterization of a particular sense/antisense pair (ndsRNA-2a) revealed that this molecule displays differential localization throughout the cell cycle, interacts with RCC1 and RAN and through the latter with the mitotic RANGAP1-SUMO1/RANBP2 complex. Notably, an increased number of bi/multi-nucleated cells and chromatin bridges were observed upon ndsRNA-2a overexpression, whereas strand-specific ndsRNA-2a knockdown leads to mitotic catastrophe and cell death. This suggests a functional role of ndsRNA-2a in cell cycle progression that critically requires its double stranded nature. Finally, the identification of hundreds of sense/antisense transcripts pairs harboring ndsRNA profile signatures and their regulation by cellular cues suggests that ndsRNAs constitute a novel class of regulatory molecules that are likely to be involved in a plethora of biological processes. SOURCE: Maximiliano,M.,Portal (maximiliano.portal@igbmc.fr) - IGBMC