Long noncoding RNAs transcribed by ERV-9 LTR retrotransposon act in cis to modulate long-range LTR enhancer function [ChIRP-Seq]

LTR retrotransposons are repetitive DNA elements comprising ~10% of the human genome.However, Whether or how the LTR lncRNAs serve biological functions is largely unknown. Here we show that in primary human erythroblasts, lncRNAs transcribed from the LTR retrotransposons of ERV-9 human endogenous retrovirus regulated transcription of key erythroid genes. Genome wide ChIRP-Seq was carried out to detect the association of ERV-9 lncRNAs with the genomic DNA in the Day 13 erythroid cells from in vitro culture and phenylhydrazine treated Day 5 spleen cells from transgenic mice in vivo. Overall design: Examination by ChIRP-seq of ERV-9 LTR lncRNA interaction with genomic DNA in day 13 human erythroblasts cultured ex vivo from peripheral blood CD34+ cells and day 5 phenylhydrazine treated transgenic mice spleen cells