An ectopic primate RNA in mouse neurons promotes activity and CREB function

The expression of the primate-specific LINC00473 (Lnc473) gene is decreased in the brains of schizophrenics as well as female depression patients. It is not clear, however, what is the function of Lnc473 in neurons. We introduced the human Lnc473 RNA into mouse primary neurons and show that this resulted in a transcriptomic shift comprising downregulation of epilepsy-associated genes and a rise in the transcriptional output of CREB activity. Moreover, ectopic Lnc473 expression increased neuronal as well as network excitability. mRNA expression profile in mouse hippocampal primary neurons supplemented with human Lnc473 compared to EGFP expression.