AUTHOR=Kadakkuzha Beena M. , Liu Xin-An , Narvaez Maria , Kaye Alexandra , Akhmedov Komolitdin , Puthanveettil Sathyanarayanan V. TITLE=Asymmetric localization of natural antisense RNA of neuropeptide sensorin in Aplysia sensory neurons during aging and activity JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2014 YEAR=2014 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2014.00084 DOI=10.3389/fgene.2014.00084 ISSN=1664-8021 ABSTRACT=

Despite the advances in our understanding of transcriptome, regulation and function of its non-coding components continue to be poorly understood. Here we searched for natural antisense transcript for sensorin (NAT-SRN), a neuropeptide expressed in the presynaptic sensory neurons of gill-withdrawal reflex of the marine snail Aplysia californica. Sensorin (SRN) has a key role in learning and long-term memory storage in Aplysia. We have now identified NAT-SRN in the central nervous system (CNS) and have confirmed its expression by northern blotting and fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization. Quantitative analysis of NAT-SRN in micro-dissected cell bodies and processes of sensory neurons suggest that NAT-SRN is present in the distal neuronal processes along with sense transcripts. Importantly, aging is associated with reduction in levels of NAT-SRN in sensory neuron processes. Furthermore, we find that forskolin, an activator of CREB signaling, differentially alters the distribution of SRN and NAT-SRN. These studies reveal novel insights into physiological regulation of natural antisense RNAs.