LIPTER, a cardiomyocyte-enriched long noncoding RNA, controls cardiac cytoskeletal maturation and is regulated by a cardiomyocyte-specific enhancer.
Cardiac development is characterized by a complex series of molecular, cytoskeletal and electrophysiological changes that guarantee the proper functioning of adult cardiomyocytes (CMs). These changes are defined by cell-type-specific transcriptional rewiring of progenitor cells to form CMs, and are regulated by various epigenetic elements, such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). LncRNAs are versatile epigenetic regulators as they may act in cis or in trans to orchestrate important gene programs during cardiac development and may concurrently encode micropeptides. LIPTER is one such lncRNA, previously shown to regulate lipid droplet transport in cardiomyocytes and thus an important regulator of cardiomyocyte metabolism. Here we show that LIPTER also plays a role in the cytoskeletal maturation of CMs, as loss of LIPTER leads to persistent expression of fetal genes, changes in chromatin accessibility, disorganized sarcomeres and impaired calcium homeostasis in CMs. Furthermore, we have identified a cardiomyocyte-specific regulatory enhancer that regulates the expression of LIPTER in CMs. CRISPR-mediated inhibition of this enhancer led to reduced LIPTER expression in CMs and increased expression of fetal genes. This CM-specific enhancer could therefore be manipulated to control the expression of LIPTER for therapeutic benefit. In summary, we have unravelled a novel role of LIPTER in CMs cytoskeletal maturation and have identified a CM-specific enhancer for LIPTER.