CriTER-A: A Novel Temperature-Dependent Noncoding RNA Switch in the Telomeric Transcriptome of Chironomus riparius

The telomeric transcriptome of Chironomus riparius has been involved in thermal stress response. One of the telomeric transcripts, the so-called CriTER-A variant, is highly overexpressed upon heat shock. On the other hand, its homologous variant CriTER-B, which is the most frequently encoded noncoding RNA in the telomeres of C. riparius, is only slightly affected by thermal stress. Interestingly, both transcripts show high sequence homology, but less is known about their folding and how this could influence their differential behaviour. Our study suggests that CriTER-A folds as two different conformers, whose relative proportion is influenced by temperature conditions. Meanwhile, the CriTER-B variant shows only one dominant conformer. Thus, a temperature-dependent conformational equilibrium can be established for CriTER-A, suggesting a putative functional role of the telomeric transcriptome in relation to thermal stress that could rely on the structure-function relationship of the CriTER-A transcripts.

Automated summary

The telomeric transcriptome of Chironomus riparius is involved in thermal stress response, with the CriTER-A variant highly overexpressed during heat shock compared to the less affected CriTER-B variant. The study suggests that CriTER-A folds into two different conformers under temperature conditions, while CriTER-B variant exhibits a single dominant conformer. This temperature-dependent conformational equilibrium of CriTER-A may indicate a potential functional role of the telomeric transcriptome in response to thermal stress.