The small noncoding RNA Vaultrc5 is dispensable to mouse development

Vault RNAs (vtRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved small noncoding RNAs transcribed by RNA polymerase III. Vault RNAs were initially described as components of the vault particle, but have since been assigned multiple vault-independent functions, including regulation of PKR activity, apoptosis, autophagy, lysosome biogenesis, and viral particle trafficking. The full-length transcript has also been described as a noncanonical source of miRNAs, which are processed in a DICER-dependent manner. As central molecules in vault-dependent and independent processes, vtRNAs have been attributed numerous biological roles, including regulation of cell proliferation and survival, response to viral infections, drug resistance, and animal development. Yet, their impact to mammalian physiology remains largely unexplored. To study vault RNAs in vivo, we generated a mouse line with a conditional Vaultrc5 loss-of-function allele. Because Vaultrc5 is the sole murine vtRNA, this allele enables the characterization of the physiological requirements of this conserved class of small regulatory RNAs in mammals. Using this strain, we show that mice constitutively null for Vaultrc5 are viable and histologically normal but have a slight reduction in platelet counts, pointing to a potential role for vtRNAs in hematopoiesis. This work paves the way for further in vivo characterizations of this abundant but mysterious RNA molecule. Specifically, it enables the study of the biological consequences of constitutive or lineage-specific Vaultrc5 deletion and of the physiological requirements for an intact Vaultrc5 during normal hematopoiesis or in response to cellular stresses such as oncogene expression, viral infection, or drug treatment.