| Date |
Thursday, 6 June 2024, 15:00～ |
| Room |
Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, 7th floor, Seminar Room 1 |
| Title |
A long non-coding enhancerRNA forms DNA:RNA hybrid R-loops to shape emotional experience-induced behavioral adaptation. |
| Speaker |
TANIGUCHI Makoto |
| Affiliation |
Medical University of South Carolina, USA |
| Organizer |
Fan-Yan Wei (Dept. Modomics Biology and Medicine, ext 8562) |
| Abstract |
Emotional experiences often evoke neural plasticity that supports adaptive changes in behavior, including maladaptive plasticity associated with mood and substance use disorders. These adaptations are supported in part by experience-dependent activation of immediate-early response genes, such as Npas4. We discovered that a conserved, long non-coding enhancer RNA (lnc-eRNA) transcribed from an activity-sensitive enhancer produces RNA:DNA hybrid R-loop structures that support 3D chromatin-looping of the enhancer and proximal promoter and stimulus-induced, rapid Npas4 gene induction. We also show that this Npas4 lnc-eRNA is required for the development of behavioral adaptations produced by chronic psychosocial stress or cocaine exposure, revealing a critical role for this new genomic regulatory mechanism in the transmission of emotional experiences, such as stress or drug use, to adaptive behavioral responses. |
