Featured long non-coding RNA – RMST

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abundant in the mammalian transcriptome, and many are specifically expressed in the brain. Researchers from the Genome Institute of Singapore and Harvard University have identified a group of lncRNAs, including rhabdomyosarcoma 2-associated transcript (RMST), which are indispensable for neurogenesis. Here, they provide mechanistic insight into the role of human RMST in modulating neurogenesis. RMST expression is specific to the brain, regulated by the transcriptional repressor REST, and increases during neuronal differentiation, indicating a role in neurogenesis. RMST physically interacts with SOX2, a transcription factor known to regulate neural fate. RMST and SOX2 coregulate a large pool of downstream genes implicated in neurogenesis. Through RNA interference and genome-wide SOX2 binding studies, they found that RMST is required for the binding of SOX2 to promoter regions of neurogenic transcription factors. These results establish the role of RMST as a transcriptional coregulator of SOX2 and a key player in the regulation of neural stem cell fate.

• Ng SY, Bogu GK, Soh BS, Stanton LW. (2013) The Long Noncoding RNA RMST Interacts with SOX2 to Regulate Neurogenesis. Mol Cell 51(3), 349-59. [abstract]