Chromatin environment, transcriptional regulation and splicing distinguish lncRNAs and mRNAs [Stability]

While long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs share similar biogenesis pathways, these two transcript classes differ in many regards. LncRNAs are less conserved, less abundant, and more tissue specific than mRNAs, implying that our understanding of lncRNA transcriptional regulation is incomplete. Here, we perform an in depth characterization of numerous factors contributing to this regulation. We find that lncRNA promoters contain fewer transcription factor binding sites than do those of mRNAs, with some notable exceptions. Surprisingly, we find that H3K9me3 –typically associated with transcriptional repression­–is enriched at active lncRNA loci. However, the most discriminant differences between lncRNAs and mRNAs involve splicing: only half of lncRNAs are efficiently spliced, which can be partially attributed to defects in lncRNA splicing signals and diminished U2AF65 binding. These attributes are conserved between humans and mice. Finally, we find that certain transcriptional properties are enriched in known, functionally characterized lncRNAs, demonstrating that our multidimensional analysis might discern lncRNAs that are likely to be functional Overall design: Examination of RNA abundance in two cell lines (K562 and Hues9) and 5 time points after actinomycin D treatment. Three replicates per time point and cell type.

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Melé M, Mattioli K, Mallard W, Shechner DM, Gerhardinger C, Rinn JL