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Roles for noncoding RNAs in cell-fate determination and regeneration

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Abstract

Cellular fate is determined by transcriptional networks and epigenetic states. In addition to protein factors, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly microRNAs and long ncRNAs, are able to remodel transcriptional circuits and reshape epigenetic landscapes. Here we draw upon recent findings to discuss the emerging roles of these ncRNAs in cellular reprogramming, transdifferentiation and organ regeneration.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Schwarz and P. Schwarz for administrative support. Work in the laboratory of J.C.I.B. was supported by the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mo Li and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte are at the Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA.,

    Mo Li & Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte

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  1. Mo Li
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  2. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte
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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte.

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Li, M., Belmonte, J. Roles for noncoding RNAs in cell-fate determination and regeneration. Nat Struct Mol Biol 22, 2–4 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2946

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