Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE57926: RBFox2 regulates a broad RNA program and is required for genome-wide targeting of polycomb complex

Bulk RNA sequencing

Increasing evidence suggests that diverse RNA binding proteins interact with regulatory RNAs to regulate transcription. RBFox2 is a ubiquitous RNA binding protein with prevalent expression in stem cells, heart, and brain. Here, we report a systematic dissection of the RBFox2-regulated RNA program in the mouse heart, demonstrating its essential function for organizing the contractile apparatus and excitation-contraction (EC) coupling by modulating alternative splicing and microRNA activity. In this analysis, we unexpectedly encounter a major functional intersection between RBFox2 and Polycomb Complex 2 (PRC2), revealing a central requirement for RBFox2 to mediate genome-wide targeting of the PRC2 complex and transcriptional repression via chromatin-associated nascent RNAs. These findings unveil the mechanism underlying the enigmatic association of PRC2 with numerous active genes, highlight the importance of gene body sequences to gauge transcriptional output, and suggest nascent RNAs as critical signals for transcriptional feedback control to maintain homeostatic gene expression in mammalian cells. SOURCE: Xiang-Dong FuGeorge Palade Laboratories UC San Diego