Antisense of IGF2R non-protein coding RNA (AIRN)

Antisense of IGF2R non-protein coding RNA (AIRN) is a long non-coding RNA transcribed from the paternal allele at the IGF2R locus. It acts as a cis-regulatory RNA essential for genomic imprinting, specifically mediating the transcriptional silencing of the paternal IGF2R, SLC22A2, and SLC22A3 genes through epigenetic mechanisms. In mice, AIRN is expressed from a differentially methylated region (DMR) in intron 2 of IGF2R and overlaps the IGF2R promoter; its transcriptional activity, rather than the RNA product itself, silences the paternal allele by interfering with RNA polymerase II binding. In the placenta, AIRN can also recruit histone methyltransferases for silencing additional genes. Besides its canonical imprinting role, recent evidence highlights that AIRN interacts with the RNA-binding protein IGF2BP2 and modulates the translation of various transcripts, influencing cell survival and migration in cardiomyocytes. AIRN is evolutionarily conserved and one of the best-characterized lncRNAs regulating imprinting and gene expression at the chromatin and translational levels in mammals[1][2][3][4].

Other names

AIRNCRNA00088IGF2RASIGF2R-AS1Non-protein coding RNA 88IGF2R antisense RNA 1 (non-protein coding)IGF2R-AS