PLoS Genetics 2007-02-02

New small nuclear RNA gene-like transcriptional units as sources of regulatory transcripts.

Aldo Pagano, Manuele Castelnuovo, Federico Tortelli, Roberto Ferrari, Giorgio Dieci, Ranieri Cancedda

Index: PLoS Genet. 3 , e1, (2007)

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Abstract

By means of a computer search for upstream promoter elements (distal sequence element and proximal sequence element) typical of small nuclear RNA genes, we have identified in the human genome a number of previously unrecognized, putative transcription units whose predicted products are novel noncoding RNAs with homology to protein-coding genes. By elucidating the function of one of them, we provide evidence for the existence of a sense/antisense-based gene-regulation network where part of the polymerase III transcriptome could control its polymerase II counterpart.