Novel Transcript Discovery Expands the Repertoire of Pathologically-Associated, Long Non-Coding RNAs in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

ABSTRACT: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) provide vital contractile force within blood vessel walls, yet can also propagate cardiovascular pathologies through proliferative and pro-inflammatory activities. Such phenotypes are driven, in part, by the diverse effects of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) on gene expression. However, lncRNA characterisation in VSMCs in pathological states is hampered by incomplete lncRNA representation in reference annotation. We aimed to improve lncRNA representation in such contexts by assembling non-reference transcripts in RNA sequencing datasets describing VSMCs stimulated in vitro with cytokines, growth factors, or mechanical stress, as well as those isolated from atherosclerotic plaques. All transcripts were then subjected to a rigorous lncRNA prediction pipeli

SUBMITTER: Bennett M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7867340 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature