CTNS antisense RNA 1 (CTNS-AS1)

CTNS antisense RNA 1 (CTNS-AS1) is a human long non-coding RNA gene, classified as a natural antisense transcript, located antisense to the cystinosin (CTNS) gene. Antisense lncRNAs like CTNS-AS1 can regulate their sense gene's expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels through mechanisms such as promoter competition, transcriptional interference, direct mRNA duplex formation, and recruitment of chromatin modifiers. CTNS-AS1 is annotated in multiple RNA databases and is associated with cystinosis via its possible regulatory influence on CTNS expression. Like other antisense lncRNAs, it may play broader roles in gene regulation and disease but is not itself a protein-coding gene or direct therapeutic target.