MIR205HG Is a Long Noncoding RNA that Regulates Growth Hormone and Prolactin Production in the Anterior Pituitary

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are processed from primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRNAs), many of which are annotated as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). We assessed whether MIR205HG, the host gene for miR-205, has independent functions as an lncRNA. Comparing mice with targeted deletions of MIR205HG and miR-205 revealed a functional role for the lncRNA in the anterior pituitary. Mice lacking MIR205HG had a temporal reduction in Pit1, growth hormone, and prolactin. This was mediated, in part, through the ability of this lncRNA to bind and regulate the transcriptional activity of Pit1 in conjunction with Zbtb20. Knockdown of MIR205HG in lactotropes decreased the expression of Pit1, Zbtb20, prolactin, and growth hormone, while its overexpression enhanced the levels of these transcripts. The effects of MIR205HG on the pituitary were independent of miR-205. The data support a role for MIR205HG as an lncRNA that regulates growth hormone and prolactin production in the anterior pituitary. [Display omitted] •MIR205HG, an lncRNA, regulates growth hormone and prolactin production in the pituitary•MIR205HG regulation of hormone production is independent of the embedded miRNA, miR-205•MIR205HG complexes Pit1, potentiating the transcriptional activity of Pit1 and Zbtb20 MIR205HG is an lncRNA that harbors the gene for miR-205, an miRNA expressed in epithelial cells. Du et al. show that mouse MIR205HG functions in the anterior pituitary, independently of miR-205, to regulate growth. The lncRNA acts with the transcription factor Pit1 to regulate expression of growth hormone and prolactin.