Region-Specific Expression Patterns of lncRNAs in the Central Nervous System: Cross-Species Comparison and Functional...

Increasing evidence demonstrates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial for brain evolution and proper development and function of the central nervous system (CNS), exhibiting specific time-, spatial-, and sex-biassed expression patterns. This study investigated whether region-specific spatial expression patterns of brain-relevant lncRNAs are conserved between the mouse and human CNS. Demonstrating such cross-species conservation informs the translational value of mouse models for lncRNA biology. To test this, the expression of 14 lncRNAs was studied in the adult CNS of mice and humans across three different regions (spinal cord, brainstem, and frontal cortex), and age effects were assessed in mice. The results demonstrated conserved expression patterns between the two species, with region-specific changes. The frontal cortex exhibited high expression of Meg3, Miat, and Pvt1 lncRNAs, while the spinal cord showed high levels of Hotair and Gas5. Additionally, Malat1 displayed lower levels in females compared to males in the spinal cord compared to other regions. Finally, through GO functional enrichment analysis and literature review, this study emphasizes the role of lncRNAs in CNS physiology and disease, suggesting their involvement in neurological processes and conditions such as cortical development, neuronal synapsis, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Overall, this research highlights the importance of further investigating the role of lncRNAs in brain function and their potential as key players in neurological disorders, opening the door to explaining the high region- and sex-specific effects of these disorders.