Andrea Cipriano

All Publications

• Targeting the Expression of Long Noncoding RNAs in Murine Satellite Cells from Single Myofibers BIO-PROTOCOL Macino, M., Biferali, B., Cipriano, A., Ballarino, M., Mozzetta, C. 2021; 11 (21)

  View details for DOI 10.21769/BioProtoc.4209

  View details for Web of Science ID 000717957300001

• Epigenetic regulation of Wnt7b expression by the cis-acting long noncoding RNA Lnc-Rewind in muscle stem cells. eLife Cipriano, A., Macino, M., Buonaiuto, G., Santini, T., Biferali, B., Peruzzi, G., Colantoni, A., Mozzetta, C., Ballarino, M. 2021; 10

  Abstract

  Skeletal muscle possesses an outstanding capacity to regenerate upon injury due to the adult muscle stem cells (MuSCs) activity. This ability requires the proper balance between MuSCs expansion and differentiation which is critical for muscle homeostasis and contributes, if deregulated, to muscle diseases. Here, we functionally characterize a novel chromatin-associated lncRNA, Lnc-Rewind, which is expressed in murine MuSCs and conserved in human. We find that, in mouse, Lnc-Rewind acts as an epigenetic regulator of MuSCs proliferation and expansion by influencing the expression of skeletal muscle genes and several components of the WNT (Wingless-INT) signalling pathway. Among them, we identified the nearby Wnt7b gene as a direct Lnc-Rewind target. We show that Lnc-Rewind interacts with the G9a histone lysine methyltransferase and mediates the in cis repression of Wnt7b by H3K9me2 deposition. Overall, these findings provide novel insights into the epigenetic regulation of adult muscle stem cells fate by lncRNAs.

  View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.54782

  View details for PubMedID 33432928

• Intronic Determinants Coordinate Charme lncRNA Nuclear Activity through the Interaction with MATR3 and PTBP1 CELL REPORTS Desideri, F., Cipriano, A., Petrezselyova, S., Buonaiuto, G., Santini, T., Kasparek, P., Prochazka, J., Janson, G., Paiardini, A., Calicchio, A., Colantoni, A., Sedlacek, R., Bozzoni, I., Ballarino, M. 2020; 33 (12): 108548

  Abstract

  Chromatin architect of muscle expression (Charme) is a muscle-restricted long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that plays an important role in myogenesis. Earlier evidence indicates that the nuclear Charme isoform, named pCharme, acts on the chromatin by assisting the formation of chromatin domains where myogenic transcription occurs. By combining RNA antisense purification (RAP) with mass spectrometry and loss-of-function analyses, we have now identified the proteins that assist these chromatin activities. These proteins-which include a sub-set of splicing regulators, principally PTBP1 and the multifunctional RNA/DNA binding protein MATR3-bind to sequences located within the alternatively spliced intron-1 to form nuclear aggregates. Consistent with the functional importance of pCharme interactome in vivo, a targeted deletion of the intron-1 by a CRISPR-Cas9 approach in mouse causes the release of pCharme from the chromatin and results in cardiac defects similar to what was observed upon knockout of the full-length transcript.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108548

  View details for Web of Science ID 000601399100024

  View details for PubMedID 33357424

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7773549

• HOTAIRM1 regulates neuronal differentiation by modulating NEUROGENIN 2 and the downstream neurogenic cascade. Cell death & disease Rea, J., Menci, V., Tollis, P., Santini, T., Armaos, A., Garone, M. G., Iberite, F., Cipriano, A., Tartaglia, G. G., Rosa, A., Ballarino, M., Laneve, P., Caffarelli, E. 2020; 11 (7): 527

  Abstract

  Neuronal differentiation is a timely and spatially regulated process, relying on precisely orchestrated gene expression control. The sequential activation/repression of genes driving cell fate specification is achieved by complex regulatory networks, where transcription factors and noncoding RNAs work in a coordinated manner. Herein, we identify the long noncoding RNA HOTAIRM1 (HOXA Transcript Antisense RNA, Myeloid-Specific 1) as a new player in neuronal differentiation. We demonstrate that the neuronal-enriched HOTAIRM1 isoform epigenetically controls the expression of the proneural transcription factor NEUROGENIN 2 that is key to neuronal fate commitment and critical for brain development. We also show that HOTAIRM1 activity impacts on NEUROGENIN 2 downstream regulatory cascade, thus contributing to the achievement of proper neuronal differentiation timing. Finally, we identify the RNA-binding proteins HNRNPK and FUS as regulators of HOTAIRM1 biogenesis and metabolism. Our findings uncover a new regulatory layer underlying NEUROGENIN 2 transitory expression in neuronal differentiation and reveal a previously unidentified function for the neuronal-induced long noncoding RNA HOTAIRM1.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41419-020-02738-w

  View details for PubMedID 32661334

• iPSC Modeling of RBM20-Deficient DCM Identifies Upregulation of RBM20 as a Therapeutic Strategy. Cell reports Briganti, F. n., Sun, H. n., Wei, W. n., Wu, J. n., Zhu, C. n., Liss, M. n., Karakikes, I. n., Rego, S. n., Cipriano, A. n., Snyder, M. n., Meder, B. n., Xu, Z. n., Millat, G. n., Gotthardt, M. n., Mercola, M. n., Steinmetz, L. M. 2020; 32 (10): 108117

  Abstract

  Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and directed differentiation of iPSCs into cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) make it possible to model genetic heart disease in vitro. We apply CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology to introduce three RBM20 mutations in iPSCs and differentiate them into iPSC-CMs to establish an in vitro model of RBM20 mutant dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In iPSC-CMs harboring a known causal RBM20 variant, the splicing of RBM20 target genes, calcium handling, and contractility are impaired consistent with the disease manifestation in patients. A variant (Pro633Leu) identified by exome sequencing of patient genomes displays the same disease phenotypes, thus establishing this variant as disease causing. We find that all-trans retinoic acid upregulates RBM20 expression and reverts the splicing, calcium handling, and contractility defects in iPSC-CMs with different causal RBM20 mutations. These results suggest that pharmacological upregulation of RBM20 expression is a promising therapeutic strategy for DCM patients with a heterozygous mutation in RBM20.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108117

  View details for PubMedID 32905764