Novel Long Noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in Myogenesis: a miR-31 Overlapping lncRNA Transcript Controls Myoblast Differentiation

Transcriptome analysis allowed the identification of new long noncoding RNAs differentially expressed during murine myoblast differentiation. These transcripts were classified on the basis of their expression under proliferating versus differentiated conditions, muscle-restricted activation, and subcellular localization. Several species displayed preferential expression in dystrophic (mdx ) versus wild-type muscles, indicating their possible link with regenerative processes. One of the identified transcripts,lnc-31 , even if originating from the same nuclear precursor ofmiR-31 , is produced by a pathway mutually exclusive. We show thatlnc-31 and its human homologuehsa-lnc-31 are expressed in proliferating myoblasts, where they counteract differentiation. In line with this, both species are more abundant inmdx muscles and in human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) myoblasts, than in their normal counterparts. Altogether, these data suggest a crucial role forlnc-31 in controlling the differentiation commitment of precursor myoblasts and indicate that its function is maintained in evolution despite the poor sequence conservation with the human counterpart.