Parentally inherited long non-coding RNA Cyrano is involved in zebrafish neurodevelopment

• Published in: Nucleic acids research 2018-10, Vol.46 (18), p.9726-9735
• Main Authors: Sarangdhar, Mayuresh Anant, Chaubey, Divya, Srikakulam, Nagesh, Pillai, Beena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: RNA and RNA-protein complexes
• ISSN: 0305-1048; 1362-4962
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky628

Abstract Transfer of genetic material from parents to progeny via fusion of gametes is a way to ensure flow of information from one generation to the next. Apart from the genetic material, gametes provide a rich source of other factors such as RNA and proteins which can control traits of the embryo. Non-coding RNAs are not only carriers of regulatory information but can also encode memory of events of parental life. Here, we explore the possibility of parental inheritance of non-coding RNAs, especially long non-coding RNAs. Meta-analysis of RNA-seq data revealed several non-coding RNAs present in zebrafish oocyte, sperm and 2cell-stage. The embryo is transcriptionally silent at this stage, we rationalize that all the RNAs detectable at 2cell-stage are deposited either by sperm or oocyte or both and thus inherited. In the inherited pool, we noticed a conserved lncRNA, Cyrano previously known for zebrafish brain development. Knockdown of inherited Cyrano by miR-7 without changing zygotic Cyrano altered brain morphology at 24 hpf and 48 hpf. This defect could be partially rescued by injecting full length Cyrano lncRNA or a mutant resilient to knock-down by miR-7. In future, there is ample scope to check the possibility of inherited lncRNAs as carriers of memory of parental life events and building blocks that set up an initial platform for development.