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Review
. 2017 Jun;15(3):187-195.
doi: 10.1016/j.gpb.2017.04.002. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Primate-specific Long Non-coding RNAs and MicroRNAs

Hassaan Mehboob Awan  1 , Abdullah Shah  1 , Farooq Rashid  1 , Ge Shan  2
Affiliations
Review

Primate-specific Long Non-coding RNAs and MicroRNAs

Hassaan Mehboob Awan et al. Genomics Proteomics Bioinformatics. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are critical regulators of gene expression in essentially all life forms. Long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are two important RNA classes possessing regulatory functions. Up to date, many primate-specific ncRNAs have been identified and investigated. Their expression specificity to primate lineage suggests primate-specific roles. It is thus critical to elucidate the biological significance of primate or even human-specific ncRNAs, and to develop potential ncRNA-based therapeutics. Here, we have summarized the studies regarding regulatory roles of some key primate-specific lncRNAs and miRNAs.

Keywords: Evolution; LncRNA; MicroRNA; Non-coding RNA; Primate-specific.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Functional mechanisms of some primate-specific lncRNAs A. In mammals, 5S-OT regulates its own transcription by acting in cis, whereas in humans it can also act in trans by interacting with splicing factor U2AF65, thus modulating alternate splicing. B. In neural progenitors, lncND is highly expressed sequestering miR-143-3p, thereby indirectly increasing Notch protein expression necessary for maintenance of neural progenitors. During differentiation, expression of lncND decreases and free miR-143-3p represses Notch mRNA, indirectly decreasing Notch protein expression in support of the differentiation of progenitor cells. RNAP, RNA polymerase; U2AF65, U2 snRNA auxiliary factor 2 of 65 kDa.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Functional mechanisms of some primate-specific miRNAs A. miR-515-5p resides in the C19MC. In preeclampsia, proto-oncogene c-MYC interacts with the E-boxes upstream of pri-miR-515. This interaction increases the expression of miR-515 thus inhibiting the differentiation of cytotrophoblasts (CytT) to syncytiotrophoblast (SynT). B. miR-603 resides in the intron of KIAA1217 gene. Hair-pin structure of pre-miR-603 harboring rs11014002 SNP is stable. By directly targeting LRPAP1, miR-603 indirectly increases the expression of LRP1 protein, thus reducing the risk of AD. C19MC, chromosome 19 miRNA cluster; LRP1, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1; LRPAP1, LRP-associated protein 1; AD, Alzheimer’s disease.
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