TITLE:
Role of long non-coding RNA in cells: Example of the H19/IGF2 locus
AUTHORS:
Constance Vennin, Fatima Dahmani, Nathalie Spruyt, Eric Adriaenssens
KEYWORDS:
H19 Gene; Genomic Imprinting; Non-Coding RNA; Cell Cycle
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.4 No.5A,
May
27,
2013
ABSTRACT:
In the past decade, studies
of non-coding RNAs increase. Non-coding RNAs are divided in two classes: small
and long non-coding RNA. It was shown that long non-coding RNAs regulate
expression of 70% of genes. Long non-coding RNAs are involved in several
cellular processes like epigenetic regulation, dosage compensation, alternative splicing and stem cells maintenance for
example. Misregulations of their expression induce diseases such as
developmental syndrome or cancer. In this review, we describe some
functions of long non-coding RNA in cells. Furthermore, we study the H19/IGF2
cluster: an imprinted genomic locus located on chromosome 11p15.5. Genomic imprinting
allows gene expression from a single allele in a parent-origin-dependent
manner. This cluster encode for the first long non-coding RNA identified: H19. In 1990, it was established that H19
functions as a riboregulator.
Recently, it was shown that H19 is a
precursor of microRNA (hsa-miR-675), and several news transcripts were
identified at the H19/IGF2 locus. So, the complexity of this
locus increasing, in this review, we summarize our current understanding about
the H19/IGF2 cluster both in terms of transcription as well as in terms
of functions in cells. We highlight the involvement of H19, its new antisense transcript 91H and its microRNA, in the regulation of IGF receptor function and
in cell cycle progression.