βlinc1 encodes a long noncoding RNA that regulates islet β-cell formation and function
- 1Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA;
- 2Genomic Programming of Β-Cells Laboratory, Institut d'Investigacions August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona 08036, Spain;
- 3Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
- Corresponding author: lgs2{at}columbia.edu
Abstract
Pancreatic β cells are responsible for maintaining glucose homeostasis; their absence or malfunction results in diabetes mellitus. Although there is evidence that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in development and disease, none have been investigated in vivo in the context of pancreas development. In this study, we demonstrate that βlinc1 (β-cell long intergenic noncoding RNA 1), a conserved lncRNA, is necessary for the specification and function of insulin-producing β cells through the coordinated regulation of a number of islet-specific transcription factors located in the genomic vicinity of βlinc1. Furthermore, deletion of βlinc1 results in defective islet development and disruption of glucose homeostasis in adult mice.
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Footnotes
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Supplemental material is available for this article.
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Article is online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.273821.115.
- Received October 22, 2015.
- Accepted February 1, 2016.
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