The FUS protein participates in circRNA biogenesis

The RNA binding protein FUS exerts its function in several RNA biosynthetic processes; moreover, mutations leading to changes in its expression levels or alterations in cellular compartmentalization have been linked to the pathogenesis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Here, we describe an additional novel function of FUS, that is the control of back-splicing reactions which lead to circular RNA (circRNA) production. We identified circRNAs expressed in murine ES-derived motoneurons and then compared their levels in control versus FUS-/- cells. We discovered that a considerable number of circRNAs is affected by FUS levels. Overall design: Analysis of WT and FUS -/- mouse motorneurons. For each condition there is a triplicate of samples. In total 6 samples are analyzed.