A network of noncoding regulatory RNAs acts in the mammalian brain I

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play increasingly appreciated gene-regulatory roles. Here, we describe a regulatory network centered on four ncRNAs—a long ncRNA, a circular RNA, and two microRNAs—using gene editing in mice to probe the molecular consequences of disrupting key components of this network. The long ncRNA Cyrano uses an extensively paired site to miR-7 to trigger destruction of this microRNA. Cyrano-directed miR-7 degradation is much more efficient than previously described examples of target-directed microRNA degradation, which come primarily from studies of artificial and viral RNAs. By reducing miR-7 levels, Cyrano prevents repression of miR-7–targeted mRNAs and enables the accumulation of Cdr1as, a circular RNA known to regulate neuronal activity. Without Cyrano, excess miR-7 causes cytoplasmic destruction of Cdr1as, in part through enhanced slicing of Cdr1as by a second miRNA, miR-671. Thus, several types of ncRNAs can collaborate to establish a sophisticated regulatory network. Overall design: mRNA expression profiling by RNA-seq of 10 tissues from wild-type (WT) and Cyrano–/– (CyrKO) mice. This study consists of 96 polyA-selected unstranded Tru-seq libraries prepared from 4–6 biological replicates per genotype for each tissue.

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Kleaveland B, Shi CY, Stefano J, Bartel DP