Abstract
The early mammalian embryo is characterized by the presence of three germ layers-the outer ectoderm, middle mesoderm and inner endoderm. The mesoderm is organized into paraxial, intermediate and lateral plate mesoderm. The musculature, vasculature and heart of the adult body are the major derivatives of mesoderm. Tracing back the developmental process to generate these specialized tissues has sparked much interest in the field of regenerative medicine focusing on generating specialized tissues to treat patients with degenerative diseases. Several Long Non-Coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as regulators of development, proliferation and differentiation of various tissues of mesodermal origin. A better understanding of lncRNAs that can regulate the development of these tissues will open potential avenues for their therapeutic utility and enhance our knowledge about disease progression and development. In this review, we aim to summarize the functions and mechanisms of lncRNAs regulating the early mesoderm differentiation, development and homeostasis of skeletal muscle and cardiovascular system with an emphasis on their therapeutic potential.
Highlights
Gastrulation results in the formation of the three germ layers - ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm
Long non-coding RNA transcripts (ncRNAs) constitute a less characterized but highly diverse class of ncRNAs. long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) are structurally similar to protein-coding genes as most of them are transcribed by RNA polymerase II, 5 capped and polyadenylated at 3 end (Bunch et al, 2016)
A further class of lncRNAs emerging from regulatory regions of the genome such as enhancers can initiate chromatin looping by recruiting chromatin modifying factors to activate or repress transcription at distant genomic location (Wang et al, 2011)
Summary
Gastrulation results in the formation of the three germ layers - ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. The three parts of the mesoderm are acted upon by several lineage commitment programs and differentiate into the progenitor cells that give rise to musculoskeletal, urogenital and cardiovascular structures of the body (Doss et al, 2012) Cells of these organs have the same genome, but the differences in transcriptionally active and inactive regions of genome guide the precursor cells toward different cell fates (Iwafuchi-Doi and Zaret, 2016). LncRNAs in Skeletal and Cardiovascular Lineages of functional non-coding RNA transcripts (ncRNAs) which form an integrated network to shape the cellular environment during different developmental and metabolic processes (Kim and Sung, 2012). Long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a less characterized but highly diverse class of ncRNAs. lncRNAs are structurally similar to protein-coding genes as most of them are transcribed by RNA polymerase II, 5 capped and polyadenylated at 3 end (Bunch et al, 2016).
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