The Ultraconserved Long Noncoding RNA, T-UCstem1, controls proliferation and safeguards self-renewal of embryonic stem cells

We reported RNA-seq transcriptome profiling of Control and T-UCstem1 KD ESCs (TBV2) grown in FBS/Lif and in optimal culture conditions (feeder cells/high density) using the Illumina HiSeq platform. Whole-genome expression revealed an enrichment in genes involved in regulation of cell proliferation, positive regulation of development and cell differentiation in T-UCstem1 depleted cells compared to N.T. A large number (~50%) of all the developmental regulatory genes that are up-regulated in T-UCstem1 KD ESCs are bivalent domains-associated genes. RNAseq data and validation both at RNA and protein level provide new evidences that T-UCstem1 is required to preserve self-renewal and transcriptional identity of ESCs. RNA-seq transcriptome profiling of Control and T-UCstem1 KD ESCs (TBV2) grown in FBS/Lif and in optimal culture conditions (feeder cells/high density).