LIN28 Binds Messenger RNAs at GGAGA Motifs and Regulates Splicing Factor Abundance.

One of the key genes important in stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency, and also used for reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells is the RNA binding protein LIN28. To understand the roles of LIN28 in regulating the genes that are important in this process, we have performed biochemical experiments followed by sequencing to identify the RNA targets of LIN28. We find that LIN28 regulates other RNA binding proteins that regulate the splicing patterns of genes expressed in the cell, representing a new mode of regulation by this RNA binding protein, thought to only act through microRNAs.