PRKAG2 antisense RNA 2 (PRKAG2-AS2)

PRKAG2 antisense RNA 2 (PRKAG2-AS2) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcribed antisense to the PRKAG2 gene, which encodes a regulatory subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)[4][5]. PRKAG2-AS2 is predominantly nuclear and functions as a regulatory element, modulating the transcription of PRKAG2, particularly isoforms PRKAG2b and PRKAG2d in human cardiomyocytes. PRKAG2-AS2 is important for maintaining expression of PRKAG2 in the heart, and reduction of nuclear PRKAG2-AS2 is associated with increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis and reduced PRKAG2b/d expression in ischemic cardiomyopathy[1]. PRKAG2-AS2 appears to exert its function partly by acting as a scaffold for transcription factor complexes, notably those including PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma). Its expression is not detected in rodent models, complicating in vivo study. There are currently no drugs approved to target PRKAG2-AS2 directly, but AMPK and its regulators (such as PRKAG2 and PPARγ agonists) are areas of research interest. PRKAG2-AS2 is not a classic “therapeutic target” like a receptor or enzyme but represents a regulatory lncRNA involved in transcriptional control of cardiorenal energy metabolism genes[1][4][5].

Other names

PRKAG2-AS2antisense RNA 2 at PRKAG2 locus

Not directly as a drug target; modulation of lncRNA levels may alter expression of downstream genes like PRKAG2, and rosiglitazone’s effect is, at least partly, mediated through PRKAG2-AS2’s influence on transcriptional regulation[1].