Over the past two decades RNA molecules have emerged as active regulators across a
variety of biological processes. Among them, the class of long non-coding RNAs
(lncRNAs) is under the spotlight for their contribution to several cancer hallmarks.
I will introduce a newly identified chromatin-enriched lncRNA, which we named
Chromosome Segregation Regulating noncoding RNA (CHERR). CHERR is a cancerrelevant
lncRNA, and its depletion in lung cancer cells leads to the non-genetic loss of a
known tumor suppressor, ARID2, a key subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling
complex. Our findings indicate that CHERR binds to the SWI/SNF subunits, potentially
promoting the stability of the complex. In line with this, loss of CHERR disrupts ARID2
association with chromatin.
Additionally, I’ll present our ongoing efforts to dissect RNA-protein interactions across cell
cycle stages and I’ll introduce TREX, an RNA-centric method to map endogenous RNAprotein
interactions with region resolution.
02/12/2024 Room 101 (RM 112-E01P01L005) – I° Floor, Building D - Viale Regina Elena 295a Dr. Giulia Guiducci Queen Mary University of London (UK)