Circular isoforms switch from repressors to activators of expression during RAF1 oncogene-induced senescence.

Long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are major regulators of gene expression and cell fate. The locus encodes the tumour suppressor proteins p15, p16 and p14 required for cell cycle arrest and whose expression increases during senescence. is a ncRNA antisense to the gene.

Control of Gene Expression in Senescence through Transcriptional Read-Through of Convergent Protein-Coding Genes.

Antisense RNAs are non-coding RNAs that can regulate their corresponding sense RNAs and are generally produced from specific promoters. We uncover here a family of antisense RNAs, named START RNAs, produced during cellular senescence by transcriptional read-through at convergent protein-coding genes. Importantly, START RNAs repress the expression of their corresponding sense RNAs.

A vlincRNA participates in senescence maintenance by relieving H2AZ-mediated repression at the INK4 locus.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play major roles in proper chromatin organization and function. Senescence, a strong anti-proliferative process and a major anticancer barrier, is associated with dramatic chromatin reorganization in heterochromatin foci. Here we analyze strand-specific transcriptome changes during oncogene-induced human senescence.

VlincRNAs controlled by retroviral elements are a hallmark of pluripotency and cancer.

Background: The function of the non-coding portion of the human genome remains one of the most important questions of our time. Its vast complexity is exemplified by the recent identification of an unusual and notable component of the transcriptome - very long intergenic non-coding RNAs, termed vlincRNAs.

Results: Here we identify 2,147 vlincRNAs covering 10 percent of our genome.