Structural and Functional Differences in the Long Non-Coding RNA Hotair in Mouse and Human
2011

Differences in Long Non-Coding RNA Hotair Between Mice and Humans

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Patrick Schorderet, Denis Duboule

Primary Institution: Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Hypothesis

Is the regulatory mechanism of Hotair conserved between mice and humans during development?

Conclusion

The mouse Hotair lincRNA has evolved differently from its human counterpart, showing little regulatory effect on Hoxd genes in mice.

Supporting Evidence

  • The mouse Hotair is poorly conserved in sequence compared to human HOTAIR.
  • Deletion of mHotair in mice has little effect on the expression of Hoxd genes.
  • The function of mHotair in mice is distinct from that reported for human cells.

Takeaway

This study found that the Hotair RNA in mice works differently than in humans, and it doesn't seem to help control certain genes in mice like it does in humans.

Methodology

The study involved sequence alignment, in situ hybridization, and transcriptome analysis in mouse embryos.

Limitations

The study may not capture all potential effects of mHotair due to the complexity of gene regulation and the specific developmental stages examined.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pgen.1002071

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