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Circular ANRIL isoforms switch from repressors to activators of p15/CDKN2B expression during RAF1 oncogene-induced senescence

ABSTRACT: Long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are major regulators of gene expression and cell fate. The INK4 locus encodes the tumour suppressor proteins p15INK4b, p16INK4a and p14ARF required for cell cycle arrest and whose expression increases during senescence. ANRIL is a ncRNA antisense to the p15 gene. In proliferative cells, ANRIL prevents senescence by repressing INK4 genes through the recruitment of Polycomb-group proteins. In models of replicative and RASval12 oncogene-induced senescence (OIS), the expression of ANRIL and Polycomb proteins decreases, thus allowing INK4 derepression. Here, we found in a model of RAF1 OIS that ANRIL expression rather increases, due in particular to an increased stability. This led us to search for circular ANRIL isoforms, as circular RNAs are rather stable species. We found that the expression of two circular ANRIL increases in several OIS models (RAF1, MEK1 and BRAF). In proliferative cells, they repress p15 expression, while in RAF1 OIS, they promote full induction of p15, p16 and p14ARF expression. Further analysis of one of these circular ANRIL shows that it interacts with Polycomb proteins and decreases EZH2 Polycomb protein localization and H3K27me3 at the p15 and p16 promoters, respectively. We propose that changes in the ratio between Polycomb proteins and circular ANRIL isoforms allow these isoforms to switch from repressors of p15 gene to activators of all INK4 genes in RAF1 OIS. Our data reveal that regulation of ANRIL expression depends on the senescence inducer and underline the importance of circular ANRIL in the regulation of INK4 gene expression and senescence.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE143957 | GEO | 2020/12/31

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The antisense non-coding RNA in the INK locus (ANRIL), which originates from the CDKN2A/B (INK4-ARF) locus, has been identified as a hotspot for genetic variants associated with cardiometabolic disease including coronary artery disease (CAD) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D). We recently found that ANRIL abundance in human pancreatic islets was increased in donors carrying certain T2D risk-SNPs, and that a T2D risk-SNP located within exon2 of ANRIL conferred reduced beta cell proliferation index, pointing to a role for ANRIL in the regulation of T2D pathogenicity via an impact on insulin secretory capacity. Recent studies in other cell types have found that the balance between linear and circular species of ANRIL is linked to the regulation of cardiovascular disease phenotypes. Less is known about circular ANRIL expression in diabetes-relevant cell types and how their abundance might influence the risk of T2D. Herein, we use high-throughput and divergent primer sequencing of circular RNA in human pancreatic islet cells to quantify and characterize circular isoforms of ANRIL. We identified several circular ANRIL isoforms that are more abundant than linear ANRIL and whose expression was correlated across dozens of individuals. Back-splicing did not occur with equal probability at all ANRIL splice sites. Rather, some specific splice sites were found to have a higher propensity to be involved in back-splicing and are weakly enriched for sequence features known to promote back-splicing. Finally, we found that islets from carriers of the T2D risk allele at rs564398 in exon 2 of ANRIL had a higher ratio of circular ANRIL relative to linear ANRIL compared to protective-allele carriers, and that higher circular:linear ANRIL ratio was associated with a decreased beta cell proliferation index. Together, our study points to the combined involvement of both linear and circular ANRIL species in T2D phenotypes and opens the door for future studies to understand the molecular mechanisms by which ANRIL impacts cellular function in human pancreatic islets.

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Circular ANRIL isoforms switch from repressors to activators of p15/CDKN2B expression during RAF1 oncogene-induced senescence

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