Neat1 in hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) generate blood and immune cells through a hierarchical process of differentiation. Genes that regulate this process are of great interest for understanding normal and also malignant hematopoiesis. Surprisingly, however, very little is known about long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) in HSCs. is a lncRNA that plays a major role in the formation of sub-nuclear structures called paraspeckles, and was reported to regulate proliferation and differentiation in other cells types. We detected expression using RNA-seq data and RT-qPCR in HSCs, progenitors and effector immune cells, by specific detection of its isoforms. is highly expressed in stem and progenitor cells, yet it shows significant reduction in granulocytes. Microscopically, is detected as sharp nuclear foci. Paraspeckle proteins NONO and PSPC1 are detected as aggregated nuclear foci in fresh primary hematopoietic cells, and in cultured cells. Induction of differentiation was found to enhance expression. Taken together, our data demonstrate for the first time the expression of and paraspeckles formation in HSCs and along hematopoiesis.