LncRNA scaffolds of nuclear RNP compartments, and their roles in embryogenesis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), by acting as molecular scaffolds, can condense ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) into phase-separated lncRNP compartments that concentrate and sequester nuclear molecules. It is becoming apparent that such compartments can critically influence post-transcriptional regulatory networks that guide cellular differentiation in embryogenesis, regeneration and disease. The extent and scope of this novel regulatory layer, and the molecular mechanisms controlling its assembly and operation, remain to be discovered. This proposal, by addressing these questions, has the potential to lead to novel fundamental insights into embryogenesis and regeneration, as well as in the ontogeny of diseases such as ALS and cancer.