LINC24065 is a monoallelically expressed long intergenic noncoding RNA located in the cattle DLK1–DIO3 cluster

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of biological processes, and regulate genomic imprinting in cis and/or trans to induce monoallelic expression with parent-origin-specific pattern. DLK1–DIO3 domain is one of the largest imprinted clusters in mammals, and maternally expressed noncoding RNAs of this region is related to the pluripotency of the embryonic stem cells. Previously, we sequenced the cDNA of two maternally expressed noncoding RNAs, MEG8 and MEG9, and mapped a lncRNA (LINC24061) between the two genes in the cattle DLK1–DIO3 domain on chromosome 21. In this study, we identified LINC24065, a novel long intergenic noncoding RNA (lincRNA), which was also located between MEG8 and MEG9. We identified four variants of LINC24065 (LINC24065-v1, LINC24065-v2, LINC24065-v3 and LINC24065-v4) that were a result of alternative splicing from 18 exons. LINC24065-v1 and LINC24065-v2 showed tissue-specific expression patterns in adultbovine tissues, and LINC24065-v3 and LINC24065-v4 were detected in all eight analysed tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, skeletal muscle, adipose and brain). Using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based method, LINC24065 was identified to have monoallelic expression in adult tissues, suggesting that it is imprinted in cows. These results provide a foundation for further investigation about whether LINC24065 plays a role in regulating imprinting of the DLK1–DIO3 domain.

Expression profiles of five FT-like genes and functional analysis of PhFT-1 in a Phalaenopsis hybrid

Background: Phalaenopsis is an important ornamental flowering plant that belongs to the Orchidaceae family and is cultivated worldwide. Phalaenopsis has a long juvenile phase; therefore, it is important to understand the genetic elements regulating the transition from vegetative phase to reproductive phase. In this study, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) homologs in Phalaenopsis were cloned, and their effects on flowering were analyzed. Results: A total of five FT-like genes were identified in Phalaenopsis. Phylogenetic and expression analyses of these five FT-like genes indicated that some of these genes might participate in the regulation of flowering. A novel FT-like gene, PhFT-1, distantly related to previously reported FT genes in Arabidopsis and other dicot crops, was also found to be a positive regulator of flowering as heterologous expression of PhFT-1 in Arabidopsis causes an early flowering phenotype. Conclusions: Five FT homologous genes from Phalaenopsis orchid were identified, and PhFT-1 positively regulates flowering.