Regulation of gene expression by the action of a fungal lncRNA on a transactivator.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial factors acting on regulatory processes in eukaryotes. Recently, for the first time in a filamentous fungus, the lncRNA was characterized in the ascomycete . In industry, this fungus is widely applied for the high-yield production of cellulases. The lncRNA was reported to influence the expression of cellulase-encoding genes; interestingly, this effect is dependent on the presence of its most abundant length. Clearly, acts in association with a set of well-described transcription factors to regulate gene expression. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the regulatory strategy of and its interactions with the major transcriptional activator Xylanase regulator 1 (Xyr1). We demonstrated that interferes with the negative feedback regulatory loop of Xyr1 in a sophisticated manner and thus ultimately has a positive effect on gene expression.