Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered how unusually long pieces of RNA work in skin cells. The RNA pieces, called \u201clong non-coding RNAs\u201d or \u201clncRNAs,\u201d help skin cells modulate connective tissue proteins, like collagen, and could represent novel therapeutic targets to promote skin repair.
In a recent study, researchers identified specific lncRNAs that control genes and behaviour of mouse skin cells. The team found 111 lncRNAs that work with a highly conserved protein network called the Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin pathway. The Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin pathway serves as a signalling hub that helps cells across species adjust gene expression in response to their environment. The new study connects this important pathway to a new form of genetic control\u2014lncRNAs.
\u201cLncRNAs are a newly discovered class of genes, and we\u2019ve been working to elucidate their functions and mechanisms as they appear to be critical for human health,\u201d said Ahmad Khalil, PhD, assistant professor of genetics and genome sciences and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. \u201cOur findings show that the Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin pathway activates certain lncRNAs to directly control gene expression in skin fibroblast cells.\u201d
The team studied skin cells, called dermal fibroblasts, that help hair follicles develop, wounds heal, and generally maintain the structural integrity of skin. Fibroblasts orchestrate these important functions with the help of the Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin pathway, among others. Sustained activation of the Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin pathway can cause fibroblasts to overproduce connective tissue proteins, like collagen, causing harmful skin fibrosis. According to the new study, lncRNAs serve as an intermediary between Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin and fibroblast genes.
The researchers showed fibroblasts genetically modified to overproduce \u03b2-catenin had 8-14 times higher levels of two specific lncRNAs when compared to control fibroblasts. The researchers named the lncRNAs Wincr1 and Wincr2\u2014Wnt signalling induced non-coding RNA.\u201d The lncRNA levels correlated with significantly higher levels of proteins that help fibroblasts move and contract. The findings suggest disrupting lncRNA levels could change how fibroblasts function in skin. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that lncRNAs could represent a new arena for drug developers. LncRNAs are intriguing therapeutic targets\u2014recent studies by Khalil and others have implicated lncRNAs defects in all kinds of diseases, including infertility and cancer.
Said Atit, \u201cSpecific lncRNAs that operate downstream of the Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin pathway could serve as drug targets for chronic and acute skin fibrosis conditions.\u201d The researchers are now working to understand how lncRNAs work in various animal models, and how their dysfunction may promote disease.
\nCase Western Reserve University School of Medicinehttps:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yan5xss9 <\/link>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered how unusually long pieces of RNA work in skin cells. The RNA pieces, called \u201clong non-coding RNAs\u201d or \u201clncRNAs,\u201d help skin cells modulate connective tissue proteins, like collagen, and could represent novel therapeutic targets to promote skin repair.In a recent study, researchers identified specific […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-e-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}