RA and lupus – targets were discovered on RNA to short-circuit inflammation.

A new study details the high-throughput process for rapid screening and identification of mysterious long non-coding RNA.

New target for inflammation regulation discovered

UC Santa Cruz researchers have discovered that LOUP is a multifunctional gene in immune cells called monocytes. LOUP can work inside the nucleus to control its neighbour SPI1. They also discovered that LOUP RNA can leave the nucleus and produce a small peptide in the cytoplasm leading to an increase in the protein SPI1 and causing downregulation of NF-kB, the master controller of inflammation. CREDIT Carpenter Lab, UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz researchers have discovered a peptide in human RNA that regulates inflammation and may provide a new path for treating diseases such as arthritis and lupus. The team used a screening process based on the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR to illuminate one of the biggest mysteries about our RNA–the molecule responsible for carrying out genetic information in our DNA.

This peptide originates within a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) called LOUP. According to the researchers, the human genome encodes over 20,000 lncRNAs, making it the largest group of genes produced from the genome. But despite this abundance, scientists know little about why lncRNAs exist or what they do. This is why lncRNA is sometimes called the “dark matter of the genome.”

The study, published May 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is one of the few in the existing literature to chip away at the mysteries of lncRNA. It also presents a new strategy for conducting high-throughput screening to rapidly identify functional lncRNAs in immune cells. The pooled-screen approach allows researchers to target thousands of genes in a single experiment, which is a much more efficient way to study uncharacterized portions of the genome than traditional experiments focusing on one gene at a time.

The research was led by immunologist Susan Carpenter, a professor and Sinsheimer Chair of UC Santa Cruz’s Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology Department. She studies the molecular mechanisms involved in protection against infection. Specifically, she focuses on the processes that lead to inflammation to determine lncRNAs’ role in these pathways.

“Inflammation is a central feature of just about every disease,” she said. “In this study, my lab focused on determining which lncRNA genes regulate inflammation.”

This meant studying lncRNAs in a type of white blood cell known as a monocyte. They used a modification of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, called CRISPR inhibition (CRISPRi), to repress gene transcription and find out which of a monocyte’s lncRNA plays a role in whether it differentiates into a macrophage—another type of white blood cell that’s critical to a well-functioning immune response.

In addition, the researchers used CRISPRi to screen macrophage lncRNA for involvement in inflammation. Unexpectedly, they located a multifunctional region that can work as an RNA and contain an undiscovered peptide that regulates inflammation.

Ms Carpenter said that understanding that this specific peptide regulates inflammation gives drugmakers a target to block the molecular interaction behind that response to suppress it. “In an ideal world, you would design a small molecule to disrupt that specific interaction instead of targeting a protein that might be expressed throughout the body,” she explained. “We’re still far from targeting these pathways with that level of precision, but that’s definitely the goal. There’s a lot of interest in RNA therapeutics right now.”

Thought for the Day – amended for International Women’s Day #womensday




Thought for the day

Thought for the day




Woman cannot discover new oceans unless she has the courage to lose sight of the shore

From Andre Gide




International Women’s Day – do women on the autism spectrum get the support they need? Take our poll! #womensday




International Women's Day and Autism

International Women’s Day and Autism

Wednesday sees the commemoration of International Women’s Day.




Over the last few months i have been involved in a number of conversations about women and autism.

Two questions came up repeatedly.

Firstly – how difficult it is for women to be diagnosed with autism? (Currently in the UK 80% of those diagnosed with autism in the UK are male.) Secondly the lack of services specially designed for and provided to females on the autism spectrum.

So I was wondering if this experience was more universal that just London. I’d really like to know the opinions of others.

Thus I’ve set up a one question poll to find out if women on the autism spectrum are getting the services they need. It would be really great if you could take part.

Secondly we would love to hear the voices of autistic women. It would be great if you could share your story ( or the story of a female loved one with autism) in the comments section below.

Many thanks in advance.





International Women’s Day. Best wishes to all those celebrating.


International Womens Day

International Womens Day

Today is International Women’s Day. We would in particular like to pay tribute to all those women who have served in the armed forces in a medical capacity.